Mexican Pizza

• 
  
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
• 8 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 2 green onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 1 tablespoon black olives, sliced

1. Heat the refried beans.
2. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Stir in the seasoning packet.
3. Preheat oven to 350.
4. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Let the oil heat, then place one corn tortilla in the skillet. After 15 seconds, flip the tortilla over and let it fry another 15 seconds. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas, letting them drain on paper towels once they have been heated. When the tortillas have drained, arrange them on a cookie sheet.
5. Spread a thin layer of beans on the tortillas, followed by a layer of beef, and cheese.
6. Bake the tortillas in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Slice the tortillas into wedges and arrange them on plates or a serving platter and garnish them with the sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, chiles, avocado, and olives.

Creamy Orzo with Turkey

adapted from Mels Kitchen

1 tablespoon olive oil
Leftover Turkey about a 1 and 1/2 cup cut up
2 red bell peppers, cut into ½-inch pieces
8 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pound orzo pasta
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1 cup reserved pasta water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions until tender. When the orzo is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water (ladling it into a small bowl is my method) and then drain the orzo and set aside.

While the orzo cooks, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the turkey with salt and pepper. Add the turkey to the hot oil and brown on all sides. When nicely browned (but not all the way cooked through), add the peppers, mushrooms and thyme. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes, until the turkey is incorporated into the mixture and the mushrooms and peppers have softened and browned and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

In the skillet over medium heat, add the softened cream cheese (if you forgot to let the cream cheese soften at room temperature, no worries! Pop it in the microwave for one minute on 40% power) in bite sized chunks and stir so that the cream cheese melts and coats the chicken and vegetables. Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir. Add the orzo, Parmesan, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Stir to combine and heat through.  Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Chocolate Macaroon Torte

1 18oz roll of chocolate chip cookie dough
1 8oz  package of cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of hot chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package of mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup of chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350

Break up the dogh on the bottom of the pan to make a crust.

Beat cream cheese with egg and coconut and 1/4 cup of sugar, hot chocolate and vanilla. blend well, mix in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.

Pour batter over uncooked cookie crust, and top with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, pecans and remainng 2/3 cup of chocolate chips.

Bake for 45 minutes, and pop out of spring form pan.  Cool and then place in the refrigerator for 2 hours!

Sweet Niblets

This is my own recipe, I am proud to say...it was FAN-freaking-TASTIC!

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter melted
salt and pepper to taste

Put the Sweet Potatoes in a bowl, with the butter. Mix together.
Place in a glass pan and roast for 20 minutes at 425 until they start smelling good!
Pull out of oven and season with salt and pepper toss again in that pan.
Then sprinkle the brown sugar over the potatoes and broil for 5 minutes.

Sausage and Chicken Jambalya

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 pound chicken (about 2 average-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts or the equivalent of another kind of cut, like thighs), cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper (red or green), chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (use a light hand with this if you don’t want it overly spicy)
1 can (10-ounces) Rotel tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups hot, steamed rice

Just a tip: start cooking the rice while you prepare the rest of the jambalaya so it is ready to add in during the last step.

In a 4-6 quart pot, cook sausage and poultry over medium heat. Drain the grease (you may only need to do this if you aren’t using a lean sausage), scrape the meat onto a plate and set aside. Melt the butter in the same pot. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the vegetables, basil and Creole (or Cajun) seasoning, and the Rotel tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Simmer the mixture over low or medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are mostly tender (they’ll continue to cook a few minutes longer in the next step). Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes longer. Stir in the hot, steamed rice until you achieve your desired consistency.

One Pot Chili Mac

Thanks Judi!

So good. So Easy. Perfect for Saturday nights or a night where you have NO time.

Olive Oil
1 medium sweet onion, very finely chopped
1 pepper, diced
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can red kidney beans, drained (or, if they are ready-to-eat, not drained)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 jar (26 oz) marinara sauce (I use Barilla or whatever is on sale)
1 package (1.25 oz) chili seasoning
1/2 box of elbow macaroni or other small pasta
Water (measure from the empty 14 oz. can of tomatoes)


*Shredded Cheese
*Sour Cream
*Minced Chives


Sautee onion and pepper in oil, add ground beef (or turkey/chicken) until cooked in a large Dutch oven. Add marinara sauce, beans, tomatoes, and chili seasoning; simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; add macaroni and a 14.5 oz. can of water; cover and simmer on low for about 15 minutes or until pasta is tender; garnish* with cheese, sour cream and chives, if desired. Sit back and enjoy!

Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake

1-1/2 cups crushed Vanilla Wafers (about 50)

3/4 cup Chopped Pecans, divided

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

32 Caramels

3 Tbsp. milk

4 pkg. (8 oz each) Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup Sour Cream

4 eggs

1 pkg. (8 squares) Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup nuts and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM (50%) 4 to 5 min. or until caramels are melted and mixture is well blended, stirring every 2 min. Pour over crust; spread to within 1 inch of edge. Cool.

Beat Cream cheese and sugar with mixer until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Melt 7 chocolate squares. Stir into cream cheese batter; pour over caramel layer.
Bake 45 to 50 min. or until center is almost set. Refrigerate 4 hours. Sprinkle with remaining nuts just before serving. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake.

Reuben Sandwiches

• 
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 slices rye bread
• 8 slices deli sliced corned beef
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained
• 1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing

1. Preheat a large skillet or griddle on medium heat.
2. Lightly butter one side of bread slices. Spread non-buttered sides with Thousand Island dressing. On 4 bread slices, layer 1 slice Swiss cheese, 2 slices corned beef, 1/4 cup sauerkraut and second slice of Swiss cheese. Top with remaining bread slices, buttered sides out.
3. Grill sandwiches until both sides are golden brown, about 15 minutes per side. Serve hot.

Light Chicken Orzo

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 pound orzo (1/2 box)

1 can french cut green beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 whole roasted chicken, (3 pounds), skin discarded, shredded (about 3 1/2 cups)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook orzo until al dente, according to package instructions; add green beans during last 6 minutes of cooking. Drain; rinse under cold water until cooled.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Toss pasta and green beans with corn mixture and chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.

I bought a whole chicken and cooked it like a rotissiree it was $4.50.

Orzo is in the pasta section because it's - PASTA!!! Which means its a great price $1.50

Everything else is canned or frozen so it is uber easy.

Total cost for this meal - $9.50ish for 6 people!

Lots of leftovers!

I served this with crisp cold apples. Its a favorite meal in my house!

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 1/2 c. milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can corn
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 4 oz. can green chilies
1/2 c. chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground red pepper (more=spicier)
Dash of chili powder
1 1/2 c. cooked chicken, cut up (I like rotisserie)
1 c. cheddar cheese

Cooking oil
Flour tortillas

For tortilla strips:
Heat oil in a skillet or pan
Tear the tortillas into small-ish strips
Fry in hot oil until lightly browned.
Drain on towel or paper.

For soup:
Saute onion in large saucepan. Add garlic for last minute.
Add milk and soup. Stir together until mixed well.
Add corn, tomatoes, chili peppers, oregano, ground red pepper, and chili powder.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
Add chicken and cheese, heat and stir until cheese is melted and chicken is heated through.
Serve with crispy tortilla strips on (and in) soup.

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon white sugar
48 chocolate-covered caramel candies

Beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in white sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and cocoa. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in 1/2 cup walnuts. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine remaining 1/2 cup nuts with the 1 tablespoon sugar. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Work with one part at a time, leaving the remainder in the refrigerator until needed. Divide each part into 12 pieces. Quickly press each piece of dough around a chocolate covered caramel. Roll into a ball. Dip the tops into the sugar mixture. Place sugar side up, 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool for 3 to 4 minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Crispy Herb Baked Chicken

2/3 cup dry potato flakes
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (3 pound) chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces
1/3 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line with foil a baking sheet or a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, combine potato flakes, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Stir until well mixed.

Dip chicken pieces, one at a time into melted butter or margarine, and roll in potato flake mixture to coat. Place in prepared pan.
Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is tender and golden brown.

I served with cheesy rice and broccoli, cause that's what my kids like! :) Serves 4, but we double it.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup whole almonds
4 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In medium bowl, Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl stir in milk, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients to large bowl; beat well. Add chocolate chips and walnuts, stir well.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Poke almonds into tops of unbaked muffins. Sprinkle muffins with sugar.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Beef Enchiladas

3 pounds beef chuck roast
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chiles
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups sour cream
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup oil for frying 20 (6 inch) corn tortillas

1. Place roast in a large saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Pour in water, cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Increase heat to medium/high, and brown the roast on all sides. Once the water has boiled away, pour in the beef broth, vinegar, chili powder and 1 tablespoon of cumin. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beef falls apart when you try to pick it up. Shred the beef, using 2 forks or your fingers. Place shredded beef back into the saucepan with all the juices, and let cool to room temperature.
2. In a large skillet, saute the onion until just soft, not browned. Mix in flour and green chilies. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook the flour taste out. Stir in sour cream and 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese. Cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the cheese is all melted and mixed. Set aside and let cool.
3. In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Using tongs dip the tortillas, one at a time, into the oil for 30 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels.
4. Preheat oven to 375. Spread 4 tablespoons of sour cream mixture down the center of the tortilla. Top with about the same amount of beef. Roll up and place seam side down in one or two 8x11 inch baking dish. Repeat for each tortilla. Continue until you are out of the filling. Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Serves 10. This is how we eat 'em in my house. Seems like a lot of work but it's easy and DELISH!

Pretzel Dogs

• 
  1 1/2 cups warm water
  1 tablespoon sugar
  2 teaspoons kosher salt
  1 package dry active yeast
  4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  10 cups water
  2/3 cup baking soda*
  1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  Pretzel salt (or kosher salt), for topping
  8 hot dogs, cut in half
  Directions:
  - Combine the warm water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until the yeast is foamy and begins to smell of yeast.
  - Add the flour and butter to the yeast mixture. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and, on medium-low speed, combine the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and appears shiny, roughly 4 to 5 minutes.
  - Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray (or lightly grease with vegetable oil) and place dough in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm area (near the oven, perhaps) and let dough rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
  - Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  - In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a roiling boil.
  - Place the dough on a greased surface, and divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, roughly 12 inches long. Carefully wrap each piece around a half hot dog. Pinch the ends together to seal the dough. Alternatively, to make regular pretzels, shape the rope into a U shape, cross the ends over each other and fold the twisted ends back onto the bottom of the U. Again, pinch the dough together to form a seal. Place each shaped pretzel on the parchment lined baking sheet.
  - Boil the shaped pretzels and pretzel dogs, one at a time, in the baking soda water for 30 seconds each. Using a slotted spatula, remove each pretzel dog from the water and place it on a drying rack to allow any extra baking soda mixture to drip off.
  - Place the boiled pretzel dogs back on the parchment lined baking sheets.
  - Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with pretzel or kosher salt.
  - Bake until golden brown, roughly 14 to 15 minutes. Transfer pretzel dogs to a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving. Serve with a variety of mustards.
  Makes 16 pretzel dogs.
  * Yes, I know that this seems like a crazy amount of baking soda, but trust me, you need it

Caramel Chex Mix

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Stick of Butter

1 TBS. White Corn Syrup

8-9 Cups Corn Chex

1 Cup Salted or Dry Roasted Peanuts

1 Cup White Chocolate Chips

In a large pan, melt butter. Add in brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat till it's bubbly and begins raising in the pan. Turn off heat and add in corn chex and peanuts. Mix well and then toss in the choco chips last minute so they slightly melt.Spread out on wax paper till cool and dry. Store in an air tight conatiner. 

*This recipe is best fresh. It's still good on day two, though. (Recipe from Beth)

Jennie's Summer Chicken Salad with Apple Vinaigrette

This is Jennie's picture.

2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
2 1/2 tsp salt
6-8 peppercorns (or a few fresh grinds)
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp agave nectar
2 TBL finely chopped shallot
5 TBL olive oil
3 TBL grated Granny Smith apple
1 large Granny Smith apple, chopped
1 small head Boston or Bibb lettuce*
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted

Directions:

- To poach the chicken: Bring 2 inches of water (enough to completely cover the chicken breasts) with 2 teaspoons salt and peppercorns to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan.  Once the water is boiling, carefully add the chicken and immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Partially cover the saucepan and poach until the chicken is cooked through, roughly 12 to 14 minutes.  Let the chicken sit for a few minutes before chopping into bite-sized pieces or shredding with a fork.

-  To make the dressing: Whisk together lemon juice, agave nectar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl until the agave and salt have dissolved. Whisk in the finely diced shallot and, slowly while continuing to whisk, pour in the oil.  Finally, whisk in grated apple.

- To assemble the salad: In a large bowl combine the chopped or shredded chicken, walnuts and chopped apples.  Toss with half of the dressing.  Arrange lettuce across one large platter or divide between individual serving plates.  Spoon the chicken/walnut mixture on top of the lettuce.  Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.

* Note: The whole leaf lettuce can be a bit intimidating.  We found ourselves needing knives to cut it apart.  I would suggest chopping the lettuce and tossing it all together if you are looking for a fork-friendly salad.

Lemon Poundcake

I made mine without the GLAZE

16	tablespoons  unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened but still cool, plus extra for greasing pan
1 3/4	cups  all-purpose flour , plus extra for dusting pan
1/2	teaspoon  baking powder
1/2	teaspoon  table salt
1/4	cup  sour cream
1 1/2	tablespoons  lemon juice
1 1/2	tablespoons  grated lemon zest
1	cup  granulated sugar plus 2 additional tablespoons
5	large eggs , at room temperature, beaten
Syrup
1/4	cup  granulated sugar
1/4	cup  lemon juice
Glaze
1/2	cup  Confectioners' sugar , sifted
1	tablespoon  lemon juice

1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with butter; dust pan with flour, then tap out excess. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into bowl. Stir sour cream and lemon juice together in second bowl.

2. Using fingers, toss lemon zest and sugar together in large bowl until clumps are gone. Add butter and beat with electric mixer at medium-high speed until smooth and light, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add beaten eggs in three additions, mixing until smooth and scraping down bowl after each addition (mixture will begin to look curdled). With mixer on low, add one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream mixture, stopping as necessary to scrape down bowl. Repeat, ending with flour mixture. Scrape down bowl, then mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Use rubber spatula to give batter final stir.

3. Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles. Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 55 to 70 minutes.

4. For the syrup: While cake bakes, stir sugar and lemon juice together in saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside.

5. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Brush top and sides of still-warm cake with syrup and cool completely, about 2 hours.

6. For the glaze: Whisk confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in bowl until smooth. Spread glaze over cake, allowing some to drip down sides. Let glaze set for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Purple Pasta (Cabbage and Currant Sauce Pasta)

2 pounds mostaccioli  pasta (mostaccioli is like penne without the ribs)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 strips bacon
• 1/4 teaspoon chile flakes
• 1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded
• 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup currants
• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

1. Boil pasta 2 minutes short of package instructions and drain. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
2. In a large 12- to 14-inch skillet, add oil and saute onions, garlic, bacon, and chile to soften and slightly render bacon, about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, lemon zest, and currants and cook to caramelize, then cook the cabbage until barely tender, about 6 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar, stirring to deglaze the pan. Add the pasta water, milk, and cheese. Stir to heat and melt cheese. Add the penne to the pan. Squeeze over half the lemon. Serve with extra grated cheese.