A Must Have....Cheese Ball

Ingredients:
2 - eight oz. packages of cream cheese
1- two cup package of grated sharp chedder cheese
1 tsp. very finely chopped green pepper
1 tsp. finely chopped pimento
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice (or vinegar)
1 tsp. dehydrated minced onion
1 tsp. dehydrated parsley
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 dash pepper
1 dash paprika
1 dash of cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Let chill for at least half a day. When
ready to serve, shape into round ball. Roll in nuts or parsely. Serve with crackers.

Notes: This is a MUST HAVE for every holiday for our family. It's SOOOOO good. The cayenne pepper is to taste. The more you put the spicier it gets. Don't change a thing. The recipe is perfect as is.

Sweet Potato Casserole

google.com

This is the best sweet potato casserole EVER! I'm not a big fan of the marshmallows people usually put in sweet potato casserole. This recipe was given to me from a friend. It use to be made by her grandmother. When I finally made it & ate it...it reminded me just of my momma's sweet potatoes. Ive never compared the ingredients with this recipe with my mom's, but I'm sure it's pretty close. This dish is sweet, but not soooo sweet that you can't taste the flavor of the sweet potatoes.

Ingredients:

Filling:
5 cups of smashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1 c. light brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. butter
1 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:
Peel, chop & boil sweet potatoes until soft. Put all "Filling" ingredients into a bowl & mix on low with beaters. Put filling into a casserole dish. Mix "toppings" together and place on top (crumbled) of filling. Bake at 375 for 20- 25 minutes. Enjoy! MY KIDS LOVE THIS!

Swiss Vegetable Medley

google.com

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen broccoli, carrots & cauliflower (thawed and drained)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 jar (4 oz) chopped pimento (drained)
1 can French fried onions

Directions:
Combine vegetables, soup, 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream, pepper, pimento and 1/2 can onions. Pour into 1 quart casserole dish. Baked covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake uncovered 5 minutes of more.

Notes: If you have a large party, you can actually use 2 (16 oz) frozen bags of vegetables. You do not need to double the rest of the ingredients. If you do not have swiss cheese, you may substitute Italian blend cheese. I use the large can of fried onions. THIS IS MY FAVORITE VEGGIE DISH! If you are tired of the same ol' green bean casserole, try this recipe instead. I promise you won't be disappointed. This recipe was given to me by my mom. Love you mom! I saw a similar recipe on allrecipes.com, but it's missing the pimento...which is a yummy ingredient. Let me know what you think if you try this out!

Ranch Picnic Pasta Salad

google image

Ingredients:

16 oz. pkg of angel hair pasta (I have used spiral pasta as well)
4 firm, ripe tomatoes, diced
2 1/4 oz. can black olives, drained & sliced
2 medium cucumbers, peeled seeded & diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small green pepper, seeded & diced
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded & diced
3 (1oz) pkgs ranch dressing mix
1 pkg Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Prepare Italian dressing mix according to directions, but using 1/2 the oil called for. Mix ranch dressing mix with oil and vinegar. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Refrigerate for at least a few hours, to combine flavors. Toss again before serving.

Notes: You don't have to use angel pasta. Pretty much any pasta will work. I typically will toss in the last bit of oil last because each time I make this...I think there is too much oil in the ingredients. So I save the remainder oil for last & slowly add what I think is best so the salad is not drenched in oil. I picked up this recipe at Macey's grocery store. It's a hit for our family & great to take to social parties.

Shrimp with Lime-Cilantro Dipping Sauce

google image

Prep: 10 min. Cook: 6 min.
Serves: 8
Cost per serving: $2.11

Shrimp:
32 medium to large shrimp (about 2lbs.) peeled & deveined
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. sugar

Directions:
Preheat broiler. Make sauce by combining soy sauce, cilantro, lime juice, oil, sugar & 1tbsp water in small bowl. Mix well until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sauce an be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored, covered, in the refrig. Make shrimp by rinsing cooked shrimp under cold water, drain & pat dry. Place them in a large bowl and add all the "shrimp" ingredients until coated well. Then thread shrimp onto skewers & place on flat cooking pan. Pour remaining sauce on top of shrimp. Cook shrimp about 3 minutes on each side until bright pink and firm (total 6 minutes). Serve over a bed of rice with dipping sauce.

Notes: YUM! We loved this dish. So easy to make also. Hint: I just bought the already cooked frozen shrimp from Walmart for like $5. Thawed them, rinsed & pat dried them. Worked perfectly. I didn't have a lemon to "zest" so I skipped that part. Served it over brown rice & the sauce was so yummy on the rice as well. Good healthy dish. Picked this up out of All You magazine.

Per Serving: 208 Cal, 11 g fat, 171 mg chol. , 0g fiber, 24g Pro., 3g Carb, 1,218 mg Sod.
HINT: You could use low sodium soy sauce to cut down on the sodium intake.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Bars

google images

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. (aka 8 ounces) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
12 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cups raspberry jam, softened

Directions:
Cream butter & sugar in mixer until well combined. Add flour & oatmeal and mix gently to make a crumble dough. Pat 2/3 of dough into buttered 9x13 pan, set aside 1/3 dough for topping. Combine cream cheese & condensed milk in mixer & beat until smooth, this will be a fairly thick mixture. Drop cream cheese mixture onto crust & spread with back of metal spoon. Soften jam in microwave until pourable, and spread over cream cheese mixture. Crumble remaining dough onto top of raspberry preserves. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned.

Notes: DELICIOUS! YUM! YUM! The only thing I changed up on this recipe was the coating of the pan. Instead of using butter, I just used cooking spray. Recipe taken from some magazine, but forgot which one.

Pink Pasta

google image

1 pkg. Bowtie Pasta (cooked and drained)
1 pint whipping cream
1 lb. Italian Sausage (or just use ground beef)
2 cans Italian style Tomatoes
½ lb. Fresh sliced Mushrooms

Sauté sausage and mushrooms. Add tomatoes and simmer 10 min. Add cream and simmer 10 more minutes. Pour over hot pasta and mix to coat all pasta.

Notes: I only use 1/2 a pint of whipping cream because we all know this cream is lethal! I have used penne pasta and can mushrooms in the past. They work pretty good if you are desperate, but the original recipe with fresh mushrooms are by far better! Recipe provided by my good friend, Maria.

Easiest Yummiest Turkey Chili Ever!

photo from http://www.yumsugar.com

I had a request for my chili recently, and I've been meaning to post it. Especially since we are now in the fall/winter seasons, this recipe will WARM you up! It's not spicy, so the kids love it. It's not heavy either, but full of flavor. I want to say it's pretty healthy too! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground turkey
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 (8 oz) can of Italian diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 can of corn (half drained)
1 can of kidney beans (drained)
1 chopped onion (if I have time to chop it, but it's not necessary)

Directions:
Cook ground turkey with onions in skillet until pink is gone. Sprinkle in taco seasoning & mix well. Pour in Italian diced tomatos, corn, and beans. Add one can of water also. Mix well & simmer about 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream, cheese, or crackers if you wish.

Seared Salmon with Balsamic Sauce

Ingredients:
4 (4 ounce) salmon fillets
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 t. canola oil
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar ( or balsamic salad dressing)
4 1/2 t. lemon juice
4 t. brown sugar

Directions:
Sprinkle both sides of fillets with salt & pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, cook fish in oil over medium heat for 10- 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork, turning once. Remove and keep warm. Combine the water, vinegar or dressing, lemon juice and brown sugar; pour into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 c. Serve over fish.

Nutritional: One serving (1 fillet w/ 2 tbsp. of sauce) equals 257 calories, 15 g of fat (3 saturated fat), 67 mg cholestrol, 366 mg sodium, 7 g carbs, 23 g protein.

NOTES: MY KIDS LOVE to eat fish cooked like this & with this sauce. I have cooked this meal with salmon, tilapia & mahi mahi. All turned out great! If you don't have any balsamic vinegar on hand, just substitute with your favorite balsamic dressing. Recipe found through allrecipes.com Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Pasta

image from raisingchefs.com

Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp (pre-cooked)
1/2 c. butter
2 t. parsley (fresh or dried)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 t. lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
12 oz. linguine noodles

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions and set aside. In large skillet, melt butter with parsley, garlic and lemon juice until heated through. Add shrimp and gently stir for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the top. Add pasta and stir to coat. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese. Serves 6-8.

Notes:
This recipe is EASY & DELICIOUS! Seriously felt like I was eating from Macaroni Grill! I picked this recipe up out of The Crossroads Journal newspaper. It was a hit in our home! Some pointers, I used whole wheat pasta noodles to make it a bit healthier. Also I didn't have fresh Parmesan on hand, so I substituted fresh mozzarella. I also used about only half of the amount requested for the cheese. I did use dry parsley & it brought great flavor. The shrimp I used was pre-cooked w/ tails, just bought at Walmart in the frozen section. I thawed the shrimp, rinsed them & just threw them in as is. It was super easy & oh so good!

My Momma's Chess Cake

Mix Together:
1 yellow or lemon cake mix (not prepared)
1 egg
1 stick of butter

Pour and press into a 13'x9' cake pan.

Mix Secondly:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 box of powdered confectioner's sugar
2 eggs

Pour on top of above crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Thanks Momma! I topped this batch w/ some candy corn to make it look festive for Halloween!

Wakiki Meatballs!

photo from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2/3 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup minced onion
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Separate
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks - drained, with juice reserved
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, oatmeal, onion, egg, milk, ginger and salt. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into meatballs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place meatballs in skillet and cook until evenly brown, and meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Mix until smooth, then pour into the skillet with meatballs. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and pineapple chunks. Heat through.

NOTE: This recipe was given to me by my mom. I LOVE it over white or brown rice. The only thing is I used olive oil...and she uses shortening. I also found this recipe on All Recipes, and there was a lady that suggested cooking the meatballs in the oven for 20 minutes on 350 instead. I think I am going to try this next time for sure! Oh and I use GROUND TURKEY to make it healthier, and it is just as good. Enjoy!

Easy Feta Chicken Bake

found thru google photos

Ingredients

6 Boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lb.)

2 tbsp. Lemon juice, divided

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Black pepper

1 pkg. (4 oz.) Athenos Crumbled Feta Cheese with Basil & Tomato

1/4 cup Finely chopped red pepper

1/4 cup Finely chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish.

Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the lemon juice. Season with salt and black pepper. Top with feta cheese; drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice.

Bake 35 to 40 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with red pepper and parsley.

Notes: I found this recipe in the inside seal of Athenos feta chez. I love feta, and this recipe was easy and delicious.

Creamy Enchiladas!

Image from google search.

Okay these bad boys are SO GOOD, but I'm sure not the best if you're on a diet. Anyhow, our family loves to eat these once every few months. Easy & delicious!
Oh and I got the recipe from a church newsletter a few years back.

Ingrediants:
1/2 cup margarine ( I only use a tablespn)
1 chopped onion (I only use half an onion)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 pint of sour cream
1 8 oz cream cheese (I only use 4 oz)
4 cooked chicken breast shredded. (you can use can chicken also)
flour tortillas

Directions:
Saute onions in margarine. Add mushroom soup, sour cream, cream cheese, and chicken. Mix all together. Roll up mixture in tortillas. Put some of the sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas. Back covered with tinfoil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

NOTES: Tonight I was lazy and thought I'd try it with can chicken. I only used one large can, and that was plenty. If you want a hearty meat enchilada, add another can of chicken. I actually forgot to add the sour cream tonight, and honestly I couldn't tell much of a difference. I'm thinking if you want to try to skimp on the calories, leave the sour cream out! Oh and note that I only used half the cream cheese it calls for. This is a HIT in our family! Yum!

Banana Almond Bread!

Photo from google site.

This recipe is for all you BANANA BREAD fans out there! I found it when I bought my loaf pans, and it is a HIT in our home! Except...it was actually suppose to be Walnuts...but we substituted Almonds instead! Sooo much yummier & healthier!

Ingrediants:

6 tablespns. butter or margarine, softened
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas (I only used 2), peeled and mashed
1 teaspn. vanilla extract
1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 teaspon. baking powder
1/2 teaspn. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (I substituted sliced almonds)

toppings:
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. chopped walnuts (I substituted sliced almonds)
2 tablespns butter or margarine, softened


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray pan with veggie pan spray. In small bowl, combine topping ingrediants; mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside. (Note: my toppings didn't come out coarse due to my butter being way soft, so I just added a bit more brown sugar & used it as a spread on top later)

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, bananas, and vanilla; mix with electric beater on low. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture, mixing well with a spoon. Gently stir in almonds/walnuts using a flip motion. Pour into pan. Sprinkle (or spread as I did) topping evenly over batter. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes; remove from pan & cool completely. Enjoy!

The Best Meatloaf EVER!

1 Egg
¾ cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
½ cup quick cooking oats
½ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound lean ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
½ cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. prepared mustard (optional)

In a bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion, salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into patties; place in un-greased 13x9x2 baking dish.
Combine ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; spoon over patties. Bake, uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Yield: 8 servings

NOTES: This recipe was given to me by my friend Maria! It is so yummy! Instead of using ground beef, I use ground turkey. It works just as good & is just as yummy! Saves on those fat calories for sure. MY KIDS LOVE THIS!

Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

Serves 6

Time: 10 min.; Cook: 10 hr. 30 min.
Cost per serving: $2.53

Ingredients

• One 3-lb. boneless pork roast
• Salt
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
• 6 hamburger buns
• 2 cups prepared coleslaw

Preparation

1. Trim excess fat from pork roast. Sprinkle with salt. Place in slow cooker and pour vinegar over roast. Cover and cook on low until roast is fork-tender and pulls apart easily, 8 to 10 hours.

2. Remove roast from cooker and shred meat into small pieces. Discard cooking liquid. Return pork to slow cooker and stir in barbecue sauce. Continue to cook until warmed through, about 30 minutes.

3. Spoon coleslaw onto bottom half of hamburger buns. Layer with pork, then top with the other half of the bun. Serve immediately with extra barbecue sauce on the side.

NOTE: I did a cup of cider, and then added about 2/3 cups of water. I felt that the more liquid the more tender it would be. I cooked it on high in my crock pot for about 7 hours, and it was PERFECT! This recipe is DELICIOUS if you like bbq! Plus we had tons of left over meat. Great way to save money & eat a little bit healthier. If you take out the coleslaw, the calorie intake will go down for sure cause coleslaw has MAYO! If you keep it, it's all good. My philosophy is that even if it carries the calories, at least it's not FAST food & you know how it was prepared and what's really in it! Oh and the kids LOVED it minus the coleslaw of course!

Nutritional Information

Calories:578 Fat:21g (sat 7g) Protein:51g Carbohydrate:42g Fiber:3g Cholesterol:155mg

Sodium:1161mg

All You, AUGUST 2009

Black Bean Soup!

(Note- This picture makes it look really tomato based. IT'S NOT!)

Okay this recipe is absolutely DELICIOUS! I will make it again & again! I think I picked this recipe out of a baby magazine years ago. My daughter loves soups & beans, so I totally scored on this recipe for her. My son...well just the opposite. What do you expect? He's 2. Oh and another round of applause....I used my Kitchen Aid food processor....
LOVE IT!

Ingredients:
2 cans (16 oz each) black beans, undrained
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
Nonstick cooking spray
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 jar (16 oz) of salsa. (I used only half the jar. You pick your spiciness. I did Mild!)
4 teaspn. lime juice (I substituted lemon instead)
2 teaspn. ground cumin
1/4 teaspn. of crushed red pepper ( I didn't have crushed, so instead I took a half of a red pepper and chopped it)

Directions:
Place 1 can beans with liquid and broth in blender or food processor; cover. Blend till smoothed. Coat large skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, & garlic. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender.

Add blended bean mixture, remaining beans and liquid, salsa, lime juice, and cumin. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cover.

Cook stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Served topped with yogurt, sour cream, cheese, &/or cilantro.

4 servings. 223 cal per serving, 0 total fat, 0 chol, 42g total carbo, 12 g protein, 10g fiber, and 5g sugar.

Chocolate Fillers--Ouch!

I tried a dessert tonight, since it's family night in our home. Found this recipe on the back of a Grammie's Favorite chocolate chip bag. So I like chocolate, but you have to be a BIG chocolate lover to eat this! Really, really rich! I think this might be one of those recipes I'd take to a pot luck because it's yummy but so rich that only a sane person would eat one...meaning they'd spread to more people, instead of oinkers like myself taking two of a favorite!
Oh and there's NO EGGS in this recipe which surprised me!

Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspn. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. of quick cooking oats
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 c. chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream butter, brown sugar, & salt. Blend in flour and oats until particles are fine. Press about 2/3 of mixture into bottom of greased 13x9 inch pan. Heat condensed milk in saucepan. Stir in chips. Spread over mixture in pan. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs; press down lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Note: I found that by letting the bars cool in the freezer, so that the chocolate harden...made them stay together better & taste better

For the Veggie Lover.

Prep: 5 min.; Cook: 12 min. per quesadilla

Cost per serving: $3.11

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup pitted, chopped black olives
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 2 zucchini (about 1 lb.), thinly sliced lengthwise
• Salt
• Four 10-inch flour tortillas
• 2 tomatoes (about 8 oz.), cored and sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high. Combine goat cheese, olives and onion in a medium bowl.

2. Mist zucchini slices on both sides with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Grill, turning after 4 minutes, until cooked through, 8 minutes total.

3. Mist one side of each tortilla with cooking spray. Place tortillas, oiled side down, on work surface. Sprinkle goat cheese mixture over half of each tortilla. Arrange zucchini and tomato slices in layers over cheese. Carefully fold tortillas over to enclose filling.

4. Turn heat to medium-low. Grill quesadillas, turning once, until cheese is melted and filling is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Cut into wedges and serve.

NOTES: This is a yummy veggie dish! Real simple & easy. I didn't grill, but instead sauted on the stove. Turned out just as good!

Nutritional Information

Calories:468 Fat:24g (sat 13g) Protein:20g Carbohydrate:44g Fiber:4g Cholesterol:45mg Sodium:1100mg

All You, AUGUST 2009