Banana Bread

1/3 cup butter (room temp)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 bananas
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves (opt)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (opt)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
chopped walnuts (if you like that sort of thing, yuck!)

side dish:
white sugar and cinnamon for a little cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, then bananas, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves if you add them. Mix well. Mix in salt, soda and flour. Grease pans and then coat bottom and sides with the cinnamon sugar. Pour in batter and top with a little more cinnamon sugar if you want. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. I bake for about 40 minutes and check, if the tops are a little too brown already I throw on a sheet of foil to stop it from browning too much more while it cooks the rest of the time.

I made this and decided to throw in the nutmeg and cloves and then to top with the cinnamon sugar. It is super yummy and the sugar gives it a little coating. This will make 5 mini loaves or 2 regular size loaves. The time and temp are for 2 glass pans. This is a great moist flavorful banana bread.

Pumpkin Pie

2 cups pumpkin (or one can of pure pumpkin if you go that route)
1 1/2 cups evap milk
3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
2 eggs-beaten

Preheat oven to 425. Mix pumpkin and sugar, salt and spices. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Gradually add evap milk and stir. Put in unbaked 9 inch pie crust. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then turn down heat and bake at 350 for approx 50 minutes. Pie is done when knife is inserted near center and comes out clean.

I always have to cook mine for an extra 15 minutes or so, but I don't know if that is my oven or because I am using tinfoil to protect my crust, I ususally base it off that knife coming out clean.

Chip's Meatloaf

This recipe comes from one of my Dad's good friends and is super yummy!

2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
3/4 cup milk
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper (I use lemon pepper)

Mix ingredients together and put in loaf pan, or I mix and make 6 little "loaves" out of them and place in a 9x13 pan.

Topping:
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbs. mustard
3 Tbs. brown sugar

Mix together and spread on top. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and a 1/2 for the 1 loaf or 350 for an hour for the six little loaves.

No Peek Beef Stew

1-2 lbs Stew Meat (I use London Broil that I cut up and take any fat off of)-seared brown with a little olive oil on the stove, then transfer to crock pot.
4 stalks Celery- cut up
1 cup of carrots cut up
1/4 onion cut up
2-3 baking potatoes with skin on cubed
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs Dry Tapioca (you can find it in the baking isle usually by the gelatin mix)
1 Tbs Sugar
1 can tomato soup
1/2 can of water

Cut up all vegetables, put everything in crock pot, stir and cook on low for 5-6 hours without removing lid.

Baked Potato Soup

4 or 5 Large Baking Potatoes
6 cups milk (I use 2%)
2/3 cups butter
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Milk Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup g. onion
10 slices bacon, cook and broken in small pieces

Pierce skin of potatoes and bake at 400 for 1 hour. Remove and let cool completely. Once cooled remove from skins and break into bite size pieces in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large pot melt butter and add flour, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add milk. making sure to combine well, add salt and pepper. Over medium/high heat bring to a low boil, stirring constantly let boil for 2 minutes. Stir constantly and watch so it doesn't burn (milk can curdle!).

Add potatoes, cheese, stir until cheese melts. Stir in sour cream and then the onions. Cook over low heat until soup is heated all the way through or put into crock pot and put on low heat. If you don't eat right away stir every 20 minutes or so or the cream may start to separate.

Top with Bacon, more green onions and cheese to taste.

Taco Soup

1 lb of ground hamburger –browned or you can use some cooked chicken.
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes- the one’s with Green Chile’s in them.
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 can of corn- drained
2 can of kidney beans- rinsed
1/4th onion- chopped
2 Tbs. chili powder
1- 1 1/2 cup water
V8 juice (however much to get it to a consistency of where you want it)

Brown hamburger, when almost done add chopped onion (as much as you like) and some chili powder (about a tsp). Add rest of ingredients to a big pot or crock pot. Add meat when done cooking, add a little more chili powder if you want it spicier. If cooking on stove top bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes. If crock pot, you can cook on low for at least 4 hours. You can then top with cheese and sour cream if you like. I usually serve cornbread with this.

Southwest Chicken

I found this on a blog, not sure where and made it tonight. It was a HUGE hit! Super easy and CHEAP, just the way we like it!

8-10 frozen tenderloins
1 jar of salsa (approx 16 oz)
1 can of Corn (drained)
1 can of Kidney beans (drained and rinsed, or you can use black beans)

Throw all that in the crock pot and cook on low for about 6 hours, then you can eat it just like it is with some tortilla chips, make a salad out of it and throw it on some lettuce with some sour cream and guac, or tonight I put it in some tortillas with cheese and lettuce and made soft tacos. It made up a TON and took all of 5 minutes tops to make.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Got this recipe HERE. Trying it tonight with leftover pork roast and the buttermilk rolls.

Red Potatoes
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
whatever other herb you want (ex Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, etc)

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Generously drizzle olive oil on a cookie sheet, make sure it is enough so potatoes don't stick. When potatoes are tender place on the cookie sheet, and mash gently with a potato masher once, then turn masher 90 degrees and gently mash once more to flatten the potato. Brush the tops with more olive oil. Sprinkle Kosher salt (you can use regular, but the Kosher will adhere better since it is bigger). Next sprinkle with black pepper and then whatever herb you want to use. Put in 450 degree oven on the top rack and bake for 20-25 minutes.

I highly recommend jumping over to the blog they came from, she has nice step by step pictures of everything and I don't!

Pork Roast

Got this recipe HERE. It was super moist and EASY!

Favorite Pork Roast

Pork Sirloin Tip Roast (they come in a 3 pack at Costco-and (BONUS)are 98% Fat Free)
Ranch dressing mix (the dry packet)
1/2 cup of water

You simply put the roast in the crockpot(they are about 2lbs), sprinkle on about 1/2 of the ranch dressing packet. Fill the crockpot about 1/2 cup of water and cook on low for about 5-8 hours. The roast is done when you can easily shred it up with your fork. Super tender and flavorful!

*I started with my roast partially frozen and so I cooked on high in the crockpot for the first 1 1/2 hours or so then flipped to low and kept at low for another 6-7 hours.

Buttermilk Rolls

Got this recipe from HERE, and trying it out this morning, they look super yummy!

Buttermilk Refigerator Rolls

3 cups Buttermilk (room temperature)
3 cups flour
1 T. yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water (first let rise a few minutes)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten with a fork
2 tsp salt
5 cups flour (sometimes you need a cup more--it should not be too sticky)
½ cup oil
1 tsp baking soda

Dissolve yeast in ¼ c. warm water and let proof a few minutes. Mix the buttermilk, flour and yeast together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Let this stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours.Add sugar, eggs, salt, flour, oil, and baking soda. Mix well and kneed for 7-10 minutes. Roll out what you want and place the rest in the refrigerator, covered. The next time you want some fresh baked rolls, take from the bowl what you want and again put the rest back in the refrigerator. It will keep for 7 days. (This is perfect for Sunday meals because you don’t have a lot of mess to clean up and it’s quick.)Let rolls rise on baking sheets until double in size. Time depends on the room temperature, usually 1½ - 2 hours. Dough from the refrigerator will take longer because the dough is cold.Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter if you like

FHE

Family Night is courtesy of Deseret Book's LDS living (thanks for the link Tam!). It is on the Holy Ghost and you can all get the entire lesson HERE.

It includes a snack, but we already had a request in for Root beer floats tonight so that will be our treat. You can sign up for emails from that site and get an FHE idea and lesson emailed to you weekly, how much easier is that?

Shepard's Pie

This is one recipe I use the rest of that roast (from recipe below) for. I found it on another blog (love blog hopping) and have made a few adjustments to it.

1lb of shredded beef
1/2 onion finely diced
6-8 red potatoes (peeled and boiled)
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 beef bullion cube
A couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 cups of carrots sliced
2 cups of sweet frozen corn
2 Tbs butter
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Litely butter a 9x8 pan. Peel and boil potatoes. While potatoes are boiling, in a skillet heat up beef and onion. In a bowl whisk together tomato paste, water, milk and bullion cube. Once onion is cooked and beef is heated up add the sauce to the beef. Saute until the liquid is absorbed a little bit and thickens, add a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

Transfer meat to the buttered pan. In same pan heat 2 Tbs butter, add carrots and cook til tender, then add corn to heat. Add to pan on top of meat.

Mash the potatoes, add the 1/2 stick of butter, sour cream and any more milk you may need and mash until they are at a consistency you like. *Add in cheese if you would like.

Spread Potatoes over the top of the veggies and sprinkle with more cheese if you would like.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Sunday Roast

2-3 lb Eye of Round
2 Tbs Oil (Olive or Canola)
1 can Beef Broth/Beef Consume (either one)
1 envelope of Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 can of water
Onion (sliced) *Opt.

Optional:
Red Potatoes
Carrots

Place oil in a skillet and sear roast on all sides, just enough to brown it and seal the juices. Then place in crock pot. Pour in 1 can of soup, water and sprinkle onion soup mix on top. If you do the onion slice and place over roast (we don't eat the onion, it just gives the roast some good flavor).

If you are adding your veggies to cook halve the potatoes and tuck around the roast and throw in the carrots.

Cook on High in Crock Pot for 3-4 hours then flip to low and cook for at least another 4-5 hours.

**We eat half the roast for one dinner and then I use the rest of it in another meal.**

Great Recipe Blog

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Monkey Munch (aka Puppy Chow)

Courtesy of Jon and Kate plus 8! And for the record I think Monkey Munch sounds much better than Puppy Chow!

1 box Chex mix (any flavor, I did Rice)
2- 2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

12 oz of Chocolate Chips
1 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter

Place those three items in microwavable bowl and melt (approx 2 minutes)

In a large bowl to mix everything, put entire box of Chex mix in. When p.butter, chocolate chips and butter are all melted and mixed well, pour over cereal and mix to coat well.

In a large Ziploc bag (or you can use a large paper bag) place 1 1/2 cups of powder sugar, spoon in cereal mix, place another 1/2 cup of sugar on top, seal bag and then mix to coat cereal with powdered sugar, if you need more add another 1/2 cup.

When it is all well coated, dump on wax paper to harden up, enjoy!

*My kids love this show and when they saw the kids help making it the other day they started begging me to make it.

Punch

1 46oz bottle Pineapple Juice
5 smashed bananas
1 Large (12 oz) can of frozen Orange Juice
1 Large can of frozen Lemonade

Boil:
6 cups water
1 cup sugar and add to the above mixture. Mix well and then when cooled you can freeze in portions of Gallon Ziploc bags. When ready to use take out 1 bag from freezer, let sit at room temp for approx 30 minutes and then add with 2 bottles of room temperature Sprite.

Carmel Popcorn

1/4 cup butter/margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 15 oz can of condensed milk
1/2 tsp of vanilla
5 qt of popped PLAIN popcorn

Combine sugar, butter and corn syrup in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in milk and simmer until mixture comes to a soft ball stage, stir in vanilla and poor over popcorn. You can then form into balls if you want.

Banana Bread

1 cup butter
2 cup sugar
6-7 smashed bananas
4 eggs- well beaten
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk + 3 tsp vinegar (combine in a small dish)
Chopped Walnuts (Opt)

Cream butter and sugar together, blend in bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Mix together flour, salt and soda and add to the mixture, alternating with milk. Add chopped nuts if you want. Makes 2 loaves. Bake at 325 for 1 hour 20 minutes or if glass dishes bake 300 for 50-55 minutes.

Buckwheat Pancakes (Jeff's favorite)

1 pkg active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups cold water
2 cups Buckwheat flour
1 cup Gold Medal Flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter-melted
1 Tbs molassas
1 tsp. baking soda, dissolved in a 1/2 cup HOT water

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add cold water. Blend in flours and salt, stir in. Beat vigorously until smooth. Cover and refridgerate overnight (at least 8 hours +). In morning stir in butter, molassas, and soda dissolved in the HOT water. Let stand at room temp for 30 minutes and bake on your griddle.

7 Layer Bean Dip

Refried Beans
3 avocados- smashed with a small amount of lemon juice

Combine:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 envelope taco seasoning

Cheese
Tomatoes- diced
Green onion- chopped
Sliced Olives

In a 9x13 pan, layer beans, avocados, cream mixture, cheese, tomatoes, green onion, olives. Chill until needed and serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Rolls

2 packages crescent rolls (8 ct)
6 oz cream cheese- softened
3/4 cup butter- room temp
1 bundle green onion chopped
1 lb. cooked chicken- shredded

Combine cream cheese and butter in a bowl, add green onion and chicken, set aside. On a floured surface take a crescent roll and slightly roll out, add a spoonful or two to the bigger end and then fold roll around it and pinch closed. Place in a greased 9x13 pan, do to all rolls lining up in pan. Top with some melted butter or margarine and crushed croutons if you want. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

There is a sauce for these, but we like it just like this, and I have never used the sauce and don't have the recipe for that.

Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce

I got this recipe from a copy cat website and it tastes just the same, although the cheeses can be a bit expensive, BUT you can freeze them to make them last, just make sure you freeze them in the amount you need them for this recipe. This is Jeff's favorite dish out and so I made it for our anniversary one year.



1/2 Tbs Garlic Puree
1 cup Butter
1 qt. heavy whipping cream

4oz of whole or 2% milk

1/2 a pound of Parmesan Cheese (fresh if possible)
2 oz of Fontina cheese (found in the specialty cheese area)

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp of Pepper




In a saucepan brown Garlic Puree in some of the butter, add rest of butter and melt. Then add the Heavy Cream, milk, both cheeses, and salt and pepper. Stir on Med/High until cheeses melt and sauce starts to thicken (about 10 minutes). Turn heat to low and continue to stir occasionally, sauce will thicken more over the next 10 minutes or so. As it is simmering I like to add some steamed broccoli and cooked shrimp or chicken and then serve over fettuccine.

FHE

The Plan of Salvation

Lesson: This Site. It has some cutouts to print off and cut out, and I have some clear contact paper that I am going to use and a magnet roll so they will all get magnets on them so we can do it on our front door/fridge/or I will pull out a cookie sheet or something.

Activities: For older children a story and using scriptures for younger children a coloring page.

Snack: Since we are short on time we will probably go and get something from Sonic or just do brownies.

Love IT!

Some things I found and want to try over the next couple of weeks, and some things that will help with keeping the kiddo's busy this summer. I will also be making up some bibs and burp cloths and hope to get some pics and put up a tutorial of it over the next couple of weeks so watch out for that!

• Rubber Duck Washcloth


• Men's Shirt= Toddler Dress


• Superhero Capes- maybe not this exact one, but something along these lines


• Chore Chart/ Reward System (sooo will be doing this for the summer!) or here is another one from Andrea
• Cute Apron Pattern (thinking this may make a fabulous gift!)
• Schoolwork pages (It is free to sign up for)

Pasta Salad (Chicken or Tuna can be added)

This salad can be made with Tuna or Chicken, but I like it without so I have never made it with either one.

Box of bowtie pasta (cook the pasta as directed)
1 can chicken, drianed and flaked (or tuna Optional!)
2 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
Grape or Chrry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Add cooked, cooled pasta to the veggies and chicken.

In a small bowl, blend:
1 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp salt
some black pepper
Add to salad mixture, toss to coat, cover and chill.

Thanks to my sister in law Melanie for this yummy salad!

Chicken and Broccoli

I have heard of this called Chicken Divan also, but this is my own variation of it to what my family likes.

Chicken-cooked and shredded
Broccoli- 4 cups cooked
2 Tbs Butter/Margarine
Basil Seasoning
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can of water
1/2 cup Mayo
Shredded Cheese (I use colby jack or whatever I have on hand)
Cooked Rice

Cook Broccoli and put in a greased 9x13 pan, then put cooked and shredded chicken on top of that. Take your 2 tbs of margarine (or butter) melt it and add some Basil seasoning (I usually add about a Tbs or so) mix and drizzle over the chicken and broccoli. In a separate bowl mix up Cream of Chicken Soup, 1 can of Water (if I boiled chicken I will use the water that I used for that for some extra flavor) and the mayo, mix together and pour over Chicken. (Now we all hate the little pieces of Chicken from the soup mix so I run it through a strainer to eliminate that). Top with some shredded cheese if you have it and want it. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Cook up some rice and put the chicken mixture over the top of it and enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti

Yummy twist on an old favorite!

Noodles- Cooked

1 egg
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Sauce- Favorite kind, for us I just brown up 1/2 lb of ground hamburger and add the Prego meat spaghetti sauce.

In a bowl combine egg and both kinds of cheese and mix, when noodles done cooking and drained put in bowl (while still hot) and mix and let cheese melt. In a greased 9X13 pan put noodle mixture then top with sauce and some more shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes, until cheese is melted.

I came up with this when Jeff and Corbin complained about not liking plain spaghetti, Corbin wouldn't eat it because it was saucy and he didn't like that, so I decided to try this out and see how they liked it. The noodles absorb some of the sauce, and it gets thick just like with Lasagna, but easier to make!

FHE

Tonights lesson is on Keeping the Love in our Home.

Lesson Idea from: HERE

Prep: I am making my own flower (pettles, stem, grass, etc. out of construction paper and the petals will be the hearts).

Lesson: We will talk about all the ways we can keep the love in our home, and ways that disrupt that love.

Scriptures: Mosiah 4: 14 & 15

Activities: Making the flower in the lesson, and these coloring pages: Family Having fun in Park or Happy Family posing for Picture/Hidden Number Puzzle

Treats: Heart Shaped Rice Krispie Treats or Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies.

FHE

Tonight's FHE is on Baptism. I got the lesson from HERE. Since our son Corbin will be baptized later this year I thought this would be a great lesson geared for him.

Activity: Saved a clip art picture from HERE for each of my boys to color.

Treat: Root beer floats, no real tie in here, they have just been asking for them.

Brownie, Strawberry Trifle

K this recipe I kinda just winged but here is what I did:

2 boxes of brownie mix, mixed and baked (you probably won't need all of these for the dessert, but better safe than sorry). Once you have baked, and they have cooled, cut into bite size pieces.

Strawberries (I used 2 pts.), washed, sliced and sprinkled with a little sugar.
Chocolate Sauce
Whipped Cream *check bottom of post for this recipe*

In a trifle bowl I took my bite sized brownie pieces and put a layer across the bottom, then a layer of strawberries, sprayed on some Chocolate Sauce, then a layer of whipped cream. Then start the process all over, top with the rest of the whipped cream and if you have strawberries left decorate the top. Keep refrigerated until you serve.

Home made whipped cream: (I did a double batch)
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Put ingredients in a bowl and beat on medium until stiff peaks start to form (this will take a good 5 minutes or so), refrigerate until you use. (makes 2 cups of whipped cream).

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 Tbs Butter
Chopped Celery
1/4 Onion Chopped
Chicken, cooked and shredded
4 cans Chicken Broth
1 can Vegetable Broth
1 1/2 cup Egg Noodles
Chopped Carrots
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

I did this in my Crock Pot, so I threw the chicken in frozen and cooked on high for approx 3 hours (I did about 7 or 8 tenderloins), then shred. On stove top, saute Onion and Celery in Butter, while sauteing, in crock pot add the rest of the ingredients and then add the onion and celery. Cook on high until noodles are tender (about another 3 hours).

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Combine:
2 cups strawberries (mashed or blended) We started out by mashing them with a potato masher and then pulsing them a bit, I hate big blobs of strawberries.
4 cups sugar

*Stir together and let sit for 10 minutes.

Bring to a boil:
3/4 cup water
1 package Sure-Jell (stir while boiling one minute)

*Add the Sure-Jell mixture to the strawberries and stir for 3 minutes.

Pour into containers, put on lids, and let sit out for 24 hours. Then freeze.

This is my favorite thing my Grandma J use to make for us. I called her one year to get her "recipe" and she laughed at me and told me "whatever is on the inside of the Sure-Jell box!" So thanks for Grandma J in inspiring me to try this and for all the great memories it holds!

Sandwiches

Just a way to jazz up that normal hum drum sandwich. Sandwiches for lunch are a staple for me everyday, but especially on the weekend (or Sunday really) for Jeff and I. So just sharing the yummy way I made it this weekend, if you like Quizno's you will probably like this.

I was at the local Fresh N' Easy and discovered they have Ciabatta rolls there. So I got them and some other fixin's for sandwiches for us. Jeff had the Smoked Turkey and Provolone, I stick with Ham and cheese, but no cheese (plain I know!)

Cut the Ciabatta rolls in half. On one half put your cheese and meat. Then stick both half's on a cookie sheet and stick under the broiler in your oven. Watch so it doesn't burn, but give the top bun a nice toasting and the meat on the other side as well . Pull out and put on whatever toppings you want. It was super easy and yummy.

**Eta- Fry's and some Walmarts now have ciabatta bread. I will usually look for it on sale, just picked up a bunch from Fry's for 99 cents for 4 and then freeze them.

FHE

This weeks Lesson is on: Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life

Scriptures: 1 Nephi 8:2-35

Lesson point: In Lehi's dream, he saw a tree with fruit that was delicious above all others, signifying God's.

Discussion Questions:

• Where did Lehi see the tree of life?
• What else did he see in his vision?
• Is it easy to follow the strait and narrow path when it feels the world is laughing at you?

Activities: Coloring Page, Lesson Clipart help/Coloring, Game for Older kids (needs prep time!), Scriptures/match game (scroll down to Lehi's Vision!) Flannel Story Board from Deseret Book

Treats: We are having Carmel Apples since my kids have been asking for them forever, but you could do fruit salad, or anything with fruit.

Need another FHE idea? Go HERE

Funeral Potatoes, aka Cheesy Potatoes

I have always know this recipe as the "Funeral Potato Recipe", but as I once referenced it as such I was given some weird looks, so I guess not everyone (even in the Mormon culture) refer to it as that!

1/2 cup Butter- room temperature
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 cup Shredded Cheese (COLBY JACK by Kraft, The right cheese makes a difference!)
1 1/2 bag frozen hash browns- thawed
1 pt Sour cream

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Put them in a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This is our favorite recipe, we don't like a ton of cheese, which you can always add more if you want on the top of it, and other recipes call for an onion, but we prefer without. It is super easy and the yummiest side dish ever! Thanks Mom for this!

Chicken Enchilada's

1 lb Chicken- cooked and Shredded
2 cans Hatch’s green Enchilada Sauce (Mild)- I usually find it at Fry’s
1 12 oz can of Evaporated Milk
1 bag Shredded Mexican Cheese
5 or 6 flour tortillas

Butter 9x13 pan lightly. Cut up Tortillas into squares or strips. Layer bottom of pan with some tortillas. Add chicken. Pour over half of the sauce and milk mixture. Layer with some cheese. Layer with some more tortilla strips. Pour over rest of sauce and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, salsa, etc.

A new way I make this is to use Corn Tortilla’s instead of the flour, just take one, put in some chicken, a little cheese and then about 3 tbs worth of the sauce, roll and place in buttered pan, do as many as you want and then top with as much of the sauce as you would like. The corn tortilla’s really soak up the sauce when baking so don’t be shy, I use about 2/3’s of what I make up, and then top with cheese and bake. Or the quick and easy way is to just cute the corn tortillas in half, layer the bottom of the pan, fill with chicken, some cheese and half the sauce, top with more tortillas, rest of sauce and more cheese.

The only real difference between the two tortillas is that the Corn tortillas really soak up the sauce as they bake, so it is a dryer enchilada, the flour don't so it is a little saucier. Both ways are really yummy. Thanks to my Mom for this recipe!

FHE

In an attempt to actually have Family Home Evening I went to Deseret Book today and purchased a fun little book with lesson and coinciding treats. Well I am not going to make the treats tonight, but picked out a lesson and thought I would share, plus the coloring pages/activities that I will do with it. Maybe I will actually be able to commit to doing it on a weekly basis now.

Lesson: Nephi obtaining the brass plates

Scripture Story: 1 Nephi 3:28-4:34

Activities: Coloring Page, Hidden Message Activity

Treat (if I was doing it): Sword of Laban Bread sticks: The corresponding recipe doesn't sound all that great, and if it hadn't been a BUSY day I would have done some churro's or something.

Strawberry shortcake with a twist

Not the best of pictures, but you get the idea.

1 box of yellow cake mix, made according to directions
1 can of cream cheese frosting
1 pint of strawberries, washed and sliced
1 container of strawberry glaze

Make the cake according to the directions on the box. When cooled frost with a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting. Lay out the sliced strawberries, however you want to try and make it look pretty. Top with container of strawberry glaze.

This is a really yummy and easy dessert.

Comments wanted

So I have gotten a few hits here, and was wondering if people are actually trying some of the recipes. So if you have tried one and loved it, hated it, or tweaked it to your liking leave a comment and let me know!

DIY

Need some help on little do it yourself projects around the house? Try THIS website. I found it when Jeff was outta town one weekend and I needed to find out why my garbage disposal wasn't working, and wanted to try to fix it myself. This site has also helped me: fix my own toilet, fix/replace the door bell chimes, determine what was wrong with our garage door, and a few other handy dandy tips. So if you want to try and do things on your own, check it out.

Fancy French Toast

5 eggs
2 Tbs Sugar
1 Tbs Cinnamon
1 Tbs Vanilla
3 Tbs Milk

Mix everything together then dip in bread and cook up. I also just learned from another sister in law that if you put butter on the pan you are cooking on it helps keep them crispy when they are cooked. I like to use French bread for this recipe.

Fried Rice

3 eggs scrambled, pushed to side of skillet
½ cup ham sliced and cooked in skillet
4 or 5 pieces of bacon sliced and cooked in skillet
3 or 4 green onions, sliced and cooked in skillet
1 cup of peas
Soy sauce

Cook these until peas are soft. Add some cooked rice, I usually cook up about 4-6 servings and put in as much as I need. Cover with soy sauce until you have as much as you want. Put a little on at a time and just keep tasting.

Teriyaki Chicken or Beef

1 cup soy sauce
¼ cup pineapple juice
½ cup oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup BBQ sauce
garlic powder to taste (approx 1 tsp)

Pour over as much chicken as you want to cook up. I usually do tenderloins as there isn’t as much fat on them. Or if I do beef, I buy London Broil, and have the butcher slice it lengthwise about a quarter of an inch and put them on skewers and then marinate. If chicken marinate about 4-6 hours, if beef do 8-10 hours. If you do the beef on skewers, soak them in water first for a little bit, so they won't splinter while putting the beef on.

Potato Salad

2-3 lbs of Red Potatoes- boiled, salted and cut- leave skin on
4 hard boiled eggs
¼ chopped onion
2 chopped Sweet Pickle

Dressing:
1 cup Mayo
½ cup cool whip
1 ½- 2 Tbs Pickle juice
Lemon pepper and salt to taste

Boil potatoes and then let them completely cook. Put in pickles, onion and top with dressing, add eggs last so they don't get smushed.

Thanks to my sis-in-law Kendell for this one too!

Chicken and Pasta Salad

This recipe takes some time to prepare, but it is SOOOO worth it! Thanks to Laura for it!

16 oz. Bowtie Pasta
Chicken (as much or little as you want)
1 Bottle Kikkoman’s Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
10 oz. Fresh Spinach, stems removed
6 oz. of dried Craisin’s
2- 11 oz. cans of Mandarin Oranges, drained
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
6 oz. Honey Roasted Peanuts

Dressing:

1 cup oil (I used Virgin Olive Oil)
2/3 cup Teriyaki Sauce
6 Tbs. Sugar
¼ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
2/3 cup White Vinegar

Blend dressing ingredients together and set aside. Cook pasta according to package instructions (al-dente). Toss pasta with dressing and let soak for about 2 hours.

Marinate Chicken in Teriyaki sauce for ½ hour then Grill. Cut up into bite size pieces. Toss all other ingredients in a big bowl with chicken, add pasta and as much of the dressing as you would like. DON'T MIX UNTIL JUST BEFORE SERVING!
Serves 20.

Chicken Pot Pie

Crust- I just use a Pillsbury Pie Crust

Filling:

3 or 4 Chicken Breast- cooked and shreded
2 cups Frozen Veggie Mix ( I usually just do the peas and carrots mixture and then add some frozen corn)
2 pkgs of Chicken Gravy
Salt & Pepper- To taste
Dry Onion- To Taste (OPT)
Parsley- To Taste (OPT)

Put bottom crust in pie pan, fill with Chicken, Veggies and seasonings. Cook gravy per instructions and pour over Chicken. Put on top crust, seal and cut some vent holes. Bake at 400 for 20- 30 minutes

Chicken and Potato Bake

4 or 5 Red potatoes cut up
1/3 cup of Italian Dressing
1 Tbs of Italian Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese
4 Chicken Breast- Raw

Put Chicken in a greased 9x13 pan, put potatoes in around them. Mix dressing and seasoning and pour over. Cover with some Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 for an hour.

Bean Dip

1 can of refried beans
Salsa
Kraft 4 cheese Mexican Cheese

In a microwavable bowl, put in one can of beans, about 1 cup of cheese, and 1 cup of salsa (I guesstimate on the salsa and cheese). Mix together and microwave for 4-5 minutes, stirring after every 2 minutes or so. Dip in tortilla chips, or put some on a plate and top with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, olive, etc and eat with tortilla chips. This is pretty close to Serrano's bean dip, but even better!

Chicken Taco's

Chicken (frozen or thawed)
Bottle of favorite salsa

Put both in crock pot, cook on low for 4-6 hours and then shred chicken when done. Add to tortillas with whatever you want, we do brown rice, kidney beans, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, etc.

This is my EASIEST recipe, and it is very good, even better that it takes NO thought!

Sweet Pork

1 pork roast or tenderloin. Place in crock pot.

Mix together:
1 c. ketchup
1 can coke
1/2 c. brown sugar
Approx. 1 tsp each garlic powder and cumin (can add more or less)

Pour over roast and cook on high for several hours until pork shreds easily. I thought it was a mistake that the recipe said cook on High the first time I made it. It is not a mistake, when you cook it on high it comes out more tender, even more tender if you use a tenderloin! Roll in tortillas with grated cheese and rice and serve with sour cream, shredded lettuce, etc. This is a pretty close replica of Cafe Rio's and Costa Vida's sweet pork. Thanks to Tammy for the recipe.

Lasagna

Sauce:
Browned ground beef
2 packets McCormick Thick and Zest Spaghetti Sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans of Tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 Tbs Oil

1 box oven ready noodles
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

I usually throw the sauce in the crockpot in the morning and let it cook all day. And then just layer with noodles and cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Thanks Tammy for the recipe! This is a great one to do for a family with a new baby, and I have gotten alot of compliments on it.

Also I once didn't realize it but I put in diced tomatoes with green chilies for one of the cans and Jeff really likes it with that little bit of spice!

Strawberry Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tbs Margarine, melted

Mix in a bowl, them press into a round cake pan or spring form pan. You can use a measuring cup to press everything evenly up sides and on bottom. Set aside

Cheesecake:
4 (8oz) pkgs of Cream Cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together on medium speed, once blended add eggs one at a time on low speed. Once blended well, pour into crust. Bake at 325 for 55 minutes, when cheesecake starts to barely crack at edges you know it is done. Let sit for at least 4 hours before serving, overnight or all day is better.

Topping:
1 pt strawberries, sliced
1 container of Marie Calendar's strawberry glaze (usually right next to the strawberries in the grocery store)

Mix together and put on top of cheesecake and serve.

Fresh Salsa

3 or 4 Roma Tomatoes
Onion- Chopped
3-4 Garlic Cloves- Chopped
1 Tbs. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Cumin
Cilantro- chopped (opt.)
1 Can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies

Put everything in blender except can of tomatoes, pulse until it is consistency you like. Add can of tomatoes and pulse one or two more times. Chill and serve.

I usually make this the night before I need it so it can sit for a bit. Also I occasionally add a little lime juice if I have it, lemon too, yum!

Chicken Salad

4 chicken breast- cooked and shredded
Celery- chopped
Green Onion- chopped
Apple-cut up
Grapes-cut in half
½ cup sliced almonds

Dressing:
2/3 cup mayo
2 Tbs Cider Vinegar
½ tsp sugar

Combine chicken and rest of stuff in bowl. Pour over dressing a little at a time until you reach the desired amount. Serve on croissant rolls.

This is one of my most requested recipes, so thanks to my sister in law Kendell for sharing it with me!

Slow Cooked BBQ Chicken

3-4 Chicken Breast (can be frozen)
2 cups ketchup
4 Tbs Brown Sugar
1 Tbs Worchestershire Sauce
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Vinegar
½ tsp garlic powder

Put everything except chicken in crockpot, put in chicken and cover with sauce. Cook on high for 4-6 hours (6 if frozen), shred and serve. You can put on buns or serve as is or add it to whatever you want.

I just throw a bunch of frozen tenderloins in and let it cook all day. The finish product doesn't look like it will have a ton of flavor, as the sauce doesn't cook up thick (like you would think BBQ sauce would), but I promise you, you will love it. I HATE BBQ sauce and this is one of my favorite meals.

Calzones

I usually just buy my pizza dough ready made from Fresh and Easy, it is less than $1 a ball and one ball is enough for me and the boys to share and then another one for Jeff.

1 jar of Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Any other toppings you want. We usually do pepperoni, olives, and Jeff like to add some crushed red pepper and bell peppers to his.

Roll out dough to desired thickness, and circle. Put sauce on half of it, do more sauce than you would like as the dough absorbs some while baking. Add cheese, and toppings. Fold plain half of crust over and seal edges together with a fork. Slice some vent holes. Brush with some melted butter or margarine, and you can sprinkle with some Parmesean cheese or garlic salt/powder.

Cook at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

3 C. whole wheat flour
1/3 C. gluten flour (you can use white flour as it has gluten in it)
1 ½ T. instant yeast
2 ½ C. hot water
1 T. salt
1/3 C. oil
1/3 C. honey
1 ½ T. lemon juice
3 C. whole wheat flour (I do white flour here and just do half and half)


Mix together first 3 ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for one minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, honey and lemon juice and beat for one minute. Add last flour one cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 10 minutes until dough pulls away from side of bowl. This makes a very soft dough. (if you're using a Kitchen-Aid, this may climb up the collar of your dough hook. Lube the hook and collar and don't walk away from it while it's kneading. You may need to stop the mixer and push the dough back down a few times. Slip it over the hook, rather than pushing it through, so you don't disrupt the gluten strands.)


Preheat oven to lukewarm (I do about 200 degrees) for one minute and then turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top. Divide into 2 loaves and place into 2 4X8 bread pans, previously sprayed with a non-stick spray. Place in warm oven to let rise for 15 to 20 minutes, until dough reaches about ½ inch above top of pan. Do not remove from oven. Turn oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. (Start timing when you first turn on the oven, not when the oven reaches temperature.) Remove from pans and cool on rack.


I buy my Wheat Flour from Freash & Easy, it is really good. Also even with the half and half with the wheat and white flour it can be hard on kids systems so you may want to do more white flour than that, or just monitor how much they have!

Crepes

1 1/4 cup Flour
2 Tbs. Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 cup of Milk
3 Eggs
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 Tbs. melted Margarine

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth, let sit for 1 hour. Put butter/margarine in a hot skillet and then pour in some batter, roll the pan around to distribute the batter and help keep it thin. You will need to rebutter the pan before each crepe. It takes a little bit to get the hang of it and flipping it. Cook both sides. Fill with whatever you like. Makes 10-12 Crepes.