Curing The Craving...

I was craving a yummy, chicken salad sandwich today. Not just any chicken salad though, it had to have grapes in it. I found this delicious recipe on Kuki's Kookbook:

Amber's Grape Chicken Salad

• 4 cups chopped grilled chicken
• 2 cup red grapes, cut in half
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup almonds (optional)

mix all ingredients together and then chill at least two hours before serving.

Tips:
It definitely satisfied my craving. Next time I'd cut back on the mayo, just a bit to much for my taste. I ended up using two cans of white meat chicken. I omitted the almonds; not because I don't like them, I simple didn't have them. I substituted dried cranberries instead. It was scrumptious. I'll definitely do half a cup of mayo next time & add the almonds (I'm sure they will give great texture). Enjoy!

PS. You don't have to necessarily let it chill for two hours. I served mine right away.

Dripping Roast Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 can Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
3/4 lb. thinly sliced deli roast beef
4 Hoagie Rolls
4 slices of provolone cheese
1/4 c. drained mild banana pepper rings (or substitute mushrooms & onions sauteed)

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 400 degrees

2.Heat soup & Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan over med-high to a boil. Add beef and heat through, stirring occasionally.

3.Divide beef mixture among rolls. Top beef with cheese slices and place sandwiches on a baking sheet.

4.Bake 3 min. or until toasted & cheese is melted. Top each sandwich with sauteed mushrooms & onions.

Tips:
I'm not even sure if I used condensed french onion soup. I think I just grabbed the first french onion soup I saw. It worked though and was a great dipping sauce. The recipe doesn't say, but keep the remaining sauce from pan to use as a dip for the sandwiches. I was pretty sure my kids wouldn't be yellow pepper fans, so I did fresh mushrooms & onions. This recipe was SO EASY & SO GOOD! I used wheat hoagie/sub rolls to make it a bit healthier. My whole family really enjoyed this lunch!

Sweet Potato Fries

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Ingredients
3 sweet potatoes
olive oil
season salt

Directions
Cut sweet potatoes into desired "finger friendly" shapes- like fries, wedges, etc. Lightly baste potatoes with olive oil and then sprinkle desire salt. Bake in oven for 30 minutes on 450 degrees, turning halfway through.

Notes
THESE ARE SOOO GOOD & HEALTHY! Make sure to wash them well. You may peel them if you'd like, but by keeping the skins on you'll have more nutrients. Yum!

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

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Ingredients

• 4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender.
3. Place uncooked pork in a 13x9 pan. Lightly drizzle olive oil on the pork. Top pork with apples and caramel sauce. Cover pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Notes
This recipe was delicious. I did the recipe exactly as above minus the pecans. I actually double the sauce recipe though, which I think helped a lot in making the pork super tender. Served with homemade sweet potato fries. Yum! Recipe taken from allrecipes.com

Mango-Berry Smoothie

I'm sorry it has been so long since I have provided you all with new recipes and such. I have a legitimate excuse....I've been on a DIET! Yes you heard me! Just trying to shed a few pounds, BUT I shouldn't let that hold me back on this blog...so....to make up for it....here's a YUMMY smoothie that I tried out on my family this past week. I snuck a sip while preparing it...to make sure it was yummy enough. Let me just say, I was SO jealous that I couldn't have one. Enjoy!

Mango-Berry Smoothie
Prep: 5 min. Serves: 2
Cost per serving: $1.91

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups orange juice
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
2 cups frozen or fresh mango chunks
1 ripe banana
1/2 cups of frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Per Serving: 289 Cal., 1 g fat (0g Sat), 3mg Chol., 5g Fiber,
6g Pro, 71g Carb., 42 mg Sod.

Side Notes
I picked this recipe up in the September 2010, All You magazine. I didn't have any blueberries, so I substituted strawberries and it was delicious. This recipe actually served my husband and two kids with some still left over. Let me know what you think smoothie lovers!

Fajita Salad.

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Have you ever tried a dish at a restaurant and said to yourself, "I could make this at home!?" Well I have! One of my favorite mexican restaurants to eat at in Utah is Cafe El Lago. Mainly because of their AMAZING chips & salsa, but also for the FAJITA salad! My daughter always teases me because I ALWAYS get the same dish when I go...."Fajita salad please!'

Finally about a month ago I thought to myself, I can totally make this salad. I know I can.
So here it is...

Ingredients
Chicken breast
Romaine lettuce
tomatoes
sweet onion
green, yellow &/or red pepper
colby jack cheese
taco seasoning packet
olive oil

Directions
First chop up lettuce and place in a big bowl. Set aside.

If you have a "Foreman" grill, go ahead and place your chicken to cook adding a little of salt & pepper for flavor. If you do not have a grill, then cook chicken in skillet until done. Set aside.

In another skillet, add a couple tbsp of olive oil. Slice up your onion & peppers and saute in skillet. Once sauted, add in the taco seasoning with a couple of tbsps of water to make the sauce thin. Add cooked chicken and mix well .

Once the peppers, onion, chicken mixture is tossed well in the taco seasoning, you can now place the mixture in the bowl of lettuce. Grate some colby jack cheese on top so that the cheese melts on the chicken mixture. Cut up tomatoes to add. Once cheese is melted, toss salad.
Viola!

Add ranch for dressing if you prefer. At Cafe El Lago, they have a cilantro dressing or ranch dressing to serve with it. The cilantro dressing will for sure be my next venture to learn so that my Fajita salad is perfect! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Options
I made this dinner tonight for my parents. They loved it. My mom and I were discussing additional items you could put in the salad, like black beans, corn and/or tortilla chips. Just remember, the more you add the more calories you intake.

Easy Fifteen Minute Stroganoff

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Ingredients:

1 lb. of round steak/ chicken
2/3 c. water
3 oz canned mushroom (I prefer fresh)
1 envelope of onion soup mix or gravy packet
1 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. flour
egg noodles, rice OR crepes

Directions:

Cut meat into thin strips, browning in a tbsp of butter or olive oil. Add water and mushrooms. Saute. Stir in onion soup mix; heat to boil. Blend sour cream and flour together, then add to hot mixture. Mix well. Serve over noodles, rice or crepes.

NOTES:
I had a friend who made us a yummy stroganoff for dinner once. It was so good, but when I found out about the ingredients I wanted to DIE! Talk about calories & fat. Ouch! I was then determine to find another recipe that was not so bad. Sure this one isn't the healthiest, but it is WAY healthier then the original I had. You can also substitute fat-free/low-fat sour cream. I LOVE to have this with fresh mushrooms. Also if you don't happen to have an onion soup, you can substitute with a gravy packet mix & some sprinkle of dried chopped onion. Works just the same and is just as good!

For the Freezer:
To make ahead, prepare completely; let cool & freeze. On serving day, make fresh noodles and heat sauce. Sauce will separate somewhat, but vigorous stirring brings it right back.

Homemade Crepes

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If you want an alternative for breakfast or even dinner. Try these fabulous crepes! My sister in law taught me how to make these and they are OH so good & easy! Great food storage recipe also.

Ingredients:
2 c. of Milk
1 c. of Flour
2 eggs
pinch of salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, stirring well until no lumps. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray and gently spoon batter onto pan forming a circle (you may need to rotate your pan to spread the batter throughout the pan into a circle). Cook each side until not super doughy.

Ideas:
Breakfast- Try filling the crepes with ham & cheese OR strawberries with a little bit of whip cream. Syrup of course if you want it sweet!

Dinner: We ate crepes with an easy stroganoff recipe. It was WAY yummy!

Easy Homemade Waffles

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I just realized that I have never posted my famous homemade waffle recipe. My family LOVES eating these and it beats Bisquick waffles that I use to make back in my non-cooking days. This is also a great recipe for food storage.
Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 3/4 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
1/3 c. veggie oil
2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat waffle iron. In large bowl mix first 4 ingredients. Add remaining ingredient and beat well till blended. Pour into waffle iron & cook to desire crispiness.

What We Ate For Breakfast This Morning...

Just wanted to spread the word that if you live in my area, you may be able to score some fresh BLACKBERRIES at our local Smith's grocer for $1. I picked up a couple of containers on Tuesday! They are OH SO GOOD!

This morning my kids enjoyed yummy waffles with blackberry topping! They LOVED it! Good way to get fruit into your kids!

How do you make a fruit topping for waffles, pancakes, or angel cake?
Simple:
Slice up any "berry" fruit into a container.
(for blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries you can just smash them to the consistency you want)
Add a small amount of water to the fruit.
Add a small amount of sugar. Just enough to coat the fruit.
Serve right away or place in the refrig for a half hour
to gain a thick syrup consistency.
Voila!

Baked Potatoes

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This post may seem a little silly, but I thought I'd post how to make a good baked potato. I LOVE bake potatoes, but don't really eat them nearly enough do to time. I know some of us just nook them in the micro, but do you know that by doing that you take away LOTS of NUTRITIONAL value? So if you can find the time, make the effort to bake a potato the healthier way. Sure if you LOAD it up, you may be scratching off some "goodness" to it, but hey make it yours!
This was a cute site that showed simple steps. I placed all the steps below in case you wanted to skip the pictures & all.

Directions:

First, you need some taters. Russet potatoes are the most popular for baking, either large or small. I like small so I can eat a few. This way I get more tasty, crunchy potato skin in my portion.

You are also going to need some oil (Olive or Canola oil) and some salt. Many people prefer Kosher or sea salt. Any will do.

Clean your potatoes with a stiff-bristled brush and cold water. Once you've thoroughly cleaned the potatoes, look them over and remove any bruises or discolored spots.

Using your average fork work your way around each potato stabbing deeply into it's flesh. 6-12 stabs should do it depending on the size of the potatoes you are using. This allows steam to escape during the cooking process.

'Take a small bowl and add just a splash of your chosen oil, and have a container ready for the taters once they've been oiled.

The objective is to LIGHTLY coat each potato with oil. How you do this is up to you. My method is to lightly dab each potato in the oil and then use my hands to spread the dab around the entire spud.

Then lightly salt each one and put aside as you wait for the oven to heat up.

Arrange potatoes directly on the oven's wire rack at 350°F. Place a baking sheet to catch any drippings.

Cooking time will vary from 1 hour and up depending on the size and quantity of potatoes you cook. If you're only cooking a couple, the time should be less. The skin should be puffed up, golden-brown and crispy, and the potato should squish easily and be very soft on the inside. Careful, potatoes retain heat for quite a while!

To open a baked potato, take your fork and stab a dotted line half way around a potato, then using your thumb and index finger squeeze at both ends of the line. It will pop right open.

There you have it, easy and delicious baked potatoes! Now that you've learned how to bake a potato, you get to have fun dressing it with your favorite topping and eating it! Yummmm..

Grilled/Broiled Broccoli

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I had to share this cause it is SO DANG good & healthy for you. This is my families new favorite veggie kick. I had a girlfriend post it on her family blog, and I had to try it out. So easy & so delicious.

Ingredients:

Fresh broccoli
olive oil
salt

Directions:

Wash & cut broccoli according to the desire size. Our family like them big, long & with stems. Place on a broiler pan or cookie pan. Brush each broccoli with a light amount of olive oil. Salt to taste. If you have a grill, you can grill them up. Otherwise place broiler on 400 & cook for 5-10 minutes. Watch them closely. You'll want them to get a little crispy & brown. Remove & enjoy! Yum!

Banana Cookies!

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon, stir into the creamed mixture. Then add the mashed bananas, rolled oats and chocolate chips, mix until well blended.
3. Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove cookies from pan to cool on wire racks.

Notes

Alright...so I had some ripe bananas and really didn't feel like baking banana bread. I happened to hear Ooh and Aah, the two adorable monkeys that host Playhouse Disney, talk about banana cookies. I wondered, is there such a thing? I also remembered that I was babysitting 3 additional kids tonight, which meant 5 kids in total...which then means baking is a necessity! I looked up banana cookies and stumbled upon this recipe on allrecipes.com. I was a bit nervous, but THEY WERE DELICIOUS and so moist. The original recipe called for cloves instead of nutmeg. I didn't have cloves, so I substituted the nutmeg. I also spray my cookie pan, just in case. They turned out fabulous, there were a ton in this batch, & most importantly was a HIT FOR THE KIDS! I will definitely be doing these cookies again soon. YUM!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Munchies

INGREDIENTS

5	cups Corn Chex® cereal
2	cups pretzel sticks, broken in half
1/2	cup butter or margarine
1/2	cup creamy peanut butter
1	bag (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips (2 cups)
1	cup powdered sugar
1	cup candy-coated milk chocolate candies

DIRECTIONS

1.	Cover 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper. In very large bowl, mix cereal and pretzels.
2.	In medium microwavable bowl, microwave butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips uncovered on High 45 seconds; stir. Microwave 15 to 45 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Immediately pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Spread evenly on cookie sheets. Refrigerate uncovered about 20 minutes or until set.
3.	Break into bite-size pieces. Divide mixture evenly into 2 resealable 1-gallon food-storage plastic bags. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar to each bag. Seal and shake each bag until well coated. Add 1/2 cup candies to each bag. Seal and gently shake each bag to mix. Store in sealed bags in refrigerator up to 4 weeks.

NUTRITION INFO

1/2 Cup: Calories 290 (Calories from Fat 140); Total Fat 15g (Saturated Fat 7g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 230mg; Total Carbohydrate 35g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 23g); Protein 4g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 8%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 3 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 MyPyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

NOTES: I have made this a long time ago. Actually I made this as a snack for our family when we drove from Florida to Utah. It is DELICIOUS & ADDICTING....so be careful. We were doing yummy after-school snacks today for the young women in my church. I remember this recipe and needless to say...IT WAS A HIT! I added a bit more chex so they weren't drowing in chocolate. Just a preference. The above is taking straight from the chex website: http://www.chex.com/recipes

Apple Crisp

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prep: 20 minutes
bake: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teasp. ground cinnamon
1/8 teasp. salt
9 c. sliced, peeled apples (9 medium apples/3lbs)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 teasp. baking powder
1/4 teasp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter, melted

Vanilla ice cream (optional MUST)

Directions:

ONE In a very large mixing bowl combine granulated sugar, the 1 tablesp. flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add apples; toss gently to coat. Spread apple mixture in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
TWO In a medium bowl combine the 1 cup flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Sprinkle over the apple mixture. Drizzle melted butter evenly over all.
THREE Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes or until bubbly and apples are tender. Cool for 30 minutes; spoon into dessert dishes. If desired, serve with ice cream.

Notes: DELICIOUS. It was soooo good. Great for company for a Sunday afternoon. I got this recipe from a PUBLIX newsletter. I finally got the nerve to make it, (since I'm a chicken when it comes to baking). It was very easy and tasty. Thanks publix!

Campbell's Slow Cooker Savory Pot Roast

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Ingredients

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request)
• 1 (2 ounce) pouch Campbell's® Dry Onion Soup and Recipe Mix
• 6 small red potatoes, halved
• 6 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 (3 pound) boneless beef bottom round roast or chuck pot roast
• 1 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms
  

Directions

1. Stir the soup, onion soup mix, potatoes and carrots in a 4 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the beef and turn to coat.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours* or until the beef is fork-tender. Faster results: on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours

NOTES: I found this recipe on the side of my cream of mushroom can, and I thought it sounded good for an alternative Easter fest. Unfortunately my crock pot was too small for the amount of meat, SO i ended up baking in the oven all the above ingredients together in a pan covered with foil. I had the oven on 350 degrees and cooked it for 2 hours. It tasted great! Oh and i actually added the sliced mushrooms so you'd just mix that in when you do the potatoes and carrots. Enjoy!

MISO soup

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Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup miso paste
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup diced firm tofu
• 2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• dried seaweed
  

Directions

1. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add the seaweed, reduce heat to low, and simmer 4 minutes. Stir the miso paste and soy sauce together in a small bowl; add to the broth along with the tofu and continue cooking for 1 minute more. Pour the soup into bowls and top with the green onions to serve.

NOTES: Mmmmmm! This is our family's favorite Japanese soup. Our kids LOVE it! We always order it when we go out to a restaurant, and I was determined to learn how to make it at home. I scored some tofu for 2 for $5...so I HAD to make it! The miso paste I actually had to go to a asian market to buy, but I got a large bag of it for only $5. The paste can last up to a year in the frig, so you can save LOTS of money with it! The seaweed I actually added to the ingredients. I basically bought dried seaweed (like the ones you make sushi rolls with) and tore piece to put in the soup. Next time I'm going to make the soup with shitake mushrooms. It was DELICIOUS and a hit in our home! YEAH for homemade Japanese soup!! Thanks to allrecipe.com for providing the basic recipe.

PS. If you live near me and would like to try this recipe...I have tofu and paste you can use if you'd like!

Spinach Feta Quiche

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Ingredients:

10 oz frozen spinach (thawed)
4 eggs
4-6 oz. feta
1/2 c. cheddar chez shredded
All ready made pie crust (I prefer the ones that you have to press into a pie pan)
garlic (2 tsp)
olive oil (1 tbsp)
1 onion
salt/pepper
1/2 milk

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet saute onion, garlic, olive oil together until onions soften. Add spinach, feta, 1/4 cheddar, salt and pepper and warm on skillet. Add mixture to pie crust. Separately beat together eggs & milk. Pour egg mixture over spinach mixture in pie crust. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Take out and add remainder cheddar on top. Bake for a remaining 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: THIS IS SOOOO GOOD! I love this quiche. I think I found it on allrecipes awhile back. I basically stick to the ingredients, but I'm sure you could add more cheese if you like...or garlic. Whatever you like. I do like to bake the pie crust alone for 5 minutes before pouring the ingredients in. This is great for breakfast OR even dinner with light garden salad. Enjoy!

Bowtie Tuna Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb. bow tie pasta
1 1/4 cup light mayo
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. Parmesan
1 can (6 1/2 oz) solid white tuna
1/2 cup diced red peppers
1/2 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup black olives, halved

Directions:

Cook pasta, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Combine mayo, feta, garlic, black pepper and parmesan to make dressing. Set aside. Drain and flake tuna. Add bell peppers, celery, and olives to the tuna. Then add dressing to tuna mixture and mix well. Slowly add pasta to the mixture. Gentle mix- flipping bottom to top slowly. Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

This is another HUGE hit in our home! My kids LOVE it! I found the recipe off of a PUBLIX bowtie pasta box. It stuck to our family ever since. I generally do everything as is, but sometimes I might be short an ingredient--like celery--for some reason I don't have celery a lot in my home. You MUST have the feta, garlic, parm, tuna, red peppers, & olives to get a good flavor though! I don't always use the amount of mayo--I tend to cut back. I also like to get Athenos Tomato/ Basil to give it more flavor. I have used just plan feta though which works fine. Sometimes I'll throw in some Italian seasoning. The parmesean I use is just the sprinkle kind you get for spaghetti in the plastic container. You could do fresh though! Oh and you can eat this dish HOT or COLD. My hubby loves it HOT, but the rest of us likes it cold. I'll post a picture next time I make it!

7 Layer Salad

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Ingredients:

3 tomatoes
2 cucumbers
1 onion
6 radishes
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 head of lettuce
1 pkg. frozen green peas
6 slices bacon, cooked crisped and crumbled
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 pt. mayo

Directions:

Layer salad in given order. Place mayo on top. Cover and seal in airtight container. Allow to sit for 8 to 10 hours before serving.

Notes:

I can't believe I'm giving this recipe! This is my famous HUGE salad that was given to me once again by my momma. She had a friend name Neil give it to her...so it's not a family secret. It is INCREDIBLE. Every time I make this salad I get compliments. It is a HUGE salad, so if you don't want it too big you can half the ingredients or take some out. We generally make this salad for any special holiday! If you decided to remove some ingredients, make sure you leave in the frozen peas, tomatoes, and bacon at least! The more the salad sits in the refrig, the better it will be. I generally cut back on the mayo too. Once you have dug into the salad though, you can't really keep the leftovers...they tend to get all soggy by the next day.....SO make sure your guest eat this up!

Chili Cheese Dip

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Ingredients:

2 cans Hormel chili
2 cans of Campbell Nacho OR Cheddar soup
1 8oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 can of sliced black olives

Directions:
Mix together chili and soup. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Cover with clear wrap and heat in microwave for 4-6 minutes. Sprinkle with black olives on top for garnish. Serve with tortilla chips.

Notes: This is definitely one recipe that our family LOVES to eat during football season! It is so good, and once again...given to me by my mommy! The only thing I do a bit differently is I like to stir the mixture every couple of minutes, then pop it right back in the microwave. I do this just to make sure it gets heated all the way through. Oh and you can use chili with beans or without. It's just what you prefer. Enjoy!

Hawaiian Chicken

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Ingredients:

1 5oz bottle of soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. sugar
dash pepper
1 5 oz. bottle water (or the equivalent with tap)
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. ginger
1 med. chopped onion

Directions:

Mix all ingredients. Add chicken breast (unfrozen). Marinate overnight or at least half the day. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs covered with foil at 350 degrees. The last 20 minutes I take the foil off so that the chicken gets a nice golden brown color.

Notes:

First off, if I don't have "bottle" water, I just use tap. It works the same. If you don't have ginger, it's not a big deal. I've cooked without it, but the ginger flavor is fabulous. I generally place all the ingredients in a 9x13 pan (glass or metal). You can put as much chicken in the pan, as long as the chickens don't overlap on each other. If you forget to marinate overnight, as long as you prep this in the morning...and then cook it in the evening....the flavor will be just as good. This recipe is a hit in my family. We LOVE it & I love to make it for company. I ALWAYS get compliments on it, and it is sooooo easy. The flavor is not a typical "sweet" Hawaiian, but more like a oriental flavor. It's the best chicken ever!

This recipe was given to me from my mother, which was passed to her by a lady from church named Edith.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

I had the pleasure of learning how to make easy, homemade soft pretzels last night with my young women. One of our Laurel's taught us this easy recipe that she learned in her homemaking course in high school. Let me just say IT IS BETTER THAN THE SOFT PRETZELS AT THE MALL!

My daughter is a HUGE fan of the pretzels at the mall, so I knew this would be a hit! It was also so easy for her prepare with me. She had a blast!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. yeast

Directions: Add dry ingredients to 1 cup of hot tap water. Mix together and form into a smooth ball. Place in a plastic bag and let rest 30 minutes at room temperature. Divide dough into 6-8 pieces for small pretzels, 4 for large pretzels. Roll into long ropes (on a flour surface) and form into twisted pretzels. Dip pretzels into mixture of 3/4 c. hot water, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. baking soda. Place on greased baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt (optional). Let rise approx. 10 minutes. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. While hot brush with melted butter. ENJOY!

Notes: I used this recipe to a "tee' since it was the first time I have ever attempted bread that involved yeast! I did however have the dough sit longer in the bag, mistakenly. It still turned out perfect. We also sprinkled cinnamon & sugar on one pretzel for a change. It was so yummy! This is definitely a hit in my house. My daughter LOVED them!

Mexican Chopped Chicken Salad

6 cups of shredded lettuce
3 cups of tortilla chips
2 cups cubed chicken
1 1/2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
tomatoes and black olives for garnish

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Garnish with tomatoes and olives. Makes 6 servings.

Notes: This salad was OH SO GOOD! If you like taco salads but really don't like to consume all the calories in that big huge shell, this may just be the salad for you. I didn't use the full measurements for the lettuce, chips, and cheese. I just kind of "eyed" it to get a good proportion. The more you cut back, the healthier too. If you'd like to change it up a bit, I would probably use corn, avocado,and bacon bits. I grabbed this recipe off of a hidden valley label. My whole family LOVED it! Sorry no picture.

I Finally Made It!

This Christmas I was able to attempt for the first time a very, very famous, yummy cherry cheesecake recipe that is a tradition on my mother's side.

I have childhood memories of all the Staniewicz men fighting over who ate the most, who gets the last piece, and so on. My grandfather, uncles, father, cousins and brothers have begged for this cheesecake from my grandmother every holiday season. Sadly, ever since my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's quite a few years back, no one has really made the effort to make the cheesecake much.

For some odd reason, I thought this bad boy was difficult! To my surprise, it was sooooo easy! I must say for my first attempt, it turned out just the way I remembered it!
It was amazing, and my hubby got to experience for the first time why all the men on my family whine every holiday for it! I have a feeling it will now become one of our traditions.

Sadly enough, I can't give the recipe away! It's top secret, so
you'll just have to get lucky one day and enjoy it with our family someday!
Just wanted to share!

Aunt's Zucchini Casserole

Ingrediants:

3 medium zucchini sliced
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 onion chopped
1 stick butter
garlic
Hi Ho Crackers

Directions:

Saute' sliced zucchini, onion, and butter together. Slowly add in cream cheese once you see zucchini is cooked. Mix well until cream cheese is melted. Place in safe oven dish. Cook for 20 minutes on 350 degrees. Remove & add crackers crumbled on top. Place back in oven for 15 more minutes.

Review:

This is my aunt Lisa's recipe that she often makes during the holidays. It is delicious. Again another great side dish for any meal & easy to prepare!

Mama's Squash Casserole

google image

Ingredients:

2 lbs cooked & sliced squash
1 stick butter, melted
3 cups Pepperidge Farm® Corn Bread Stuffing
1/2 pint sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 large carrot, grated
1 small onion, grated
2 tablespoon chopped pimento

Directions:

Mix butter & dressing together. Reserve 1/2 of this mixture for topping in separate bowl.

Combine cooked squash, 1/2 dressing, sour cream, chicken soup, carrot, onion, & pimento. Mix well & place in oven safe dish. Top mixture with the 1/2 dressing that was reserved.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Review: This is my momma's yummy recipe! It always reminds me of the holidays. It's a great dish to serve up if you don't want plan 'ol stuffing & some veggies in your diet. You can add zucchini too, but I never really have. Even though it's not the holidays right now, this recipe would still go good with some chicken on the side with salad. Do it up! You'll love it!