Soda Chicken and side-dish rice

I bought these frozen chicken tenders at Costco the other day and I am LOVING them! They are the perfect size to throw a few on the stove and cook for lunch or throw a few on the grill and not have any left overs. I woke up this morning and made this soda marinade and then threw the marinaded chicken on the grill this evening for a few minutes and they were de-lish! It was a really easy dinner and only took a few minutes to put together.. spinning the lettuce was the longest part! Try the chicken tenders and theses recipes... you'll love them! ps. the best part about this meal is that once you buy the ingredients, they will last forever and it is so simple it would make a great "I have no idea what to make for dinner" meal!

Soda Chicken

1 cup 7-up, Sprite or Ginger Ale

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. horseradish

Mix thoroughly in a blender. Marinate 6-24 hours. Grill and enjoy!!

Side-Dish-Rice

1 cube butter

4 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cups regular rice

3 1/2 cups water

bring to a boil and then simmer on med/low covered until water is gone.

Add:

1 tsp. salt (I leave this out)

3 green onions, chopped

1 small package slivered or sliced almonds

Baked Spaghetti

This is a great alternative to regular spaghetti and my kids loved it! It was super easy and quick too! It is something you could make earlier in the day and put in the fridge until you are ready to cook it. We ate it with a green salad and garlic bread. It was yummy! Enjoy!

8 oz cream cheese softened

1 cup sour cream (8oz)

1 cup cottage cheese (8oz)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

9 oz cooked spaghetti

1 large jar of spaghetti sauce (I always use Newmans Own Sockarooni or Newmans Organic)

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese. Put in bottom of 9x13 in dish. (I sprayed mine with Pam) Top cheese mixture with cooked spaghetti noodles, then the spaghetti sauce and then mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. (cook until cheese on top is melted)

*tonight I halved the cheese mixture and still used 9oz of noodles.. the last time I made it, it was too cheesy for us and this time it was just perfect!)

Kung Pao Chicken

I am not a huge fan of chinese food, so when I tried this recipe and liked it I thought it was worth sharing. Plus, what better way to close out the Beijing Olympics than with a chinese food dish :-).

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces (I always use boneless skinless breasts)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4-1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes ( i use the most because I like it spicy)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1/3 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

white rice

Combine chicken and cornstarch in a bowl, toss. Heat oil in large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add chicken. Stir-fry 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet. Add onions, garlic, peppers, and ginger to skillet. Stir-fry 15 seconds. Remove from heat.

Combine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in small bowl. Stir well. Add to skillet. Return chicken to skillet. Stir until coated and sauce thickens. Stir in nuts. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot rice. *This is a spicier dish, so if you don't like spicy this may not be the meal for you*

Chicken Shepards Pie

This recipe is super easy, yummy and my kids both LOVE it! It is a great solution to those last few carrots and celery that are going to wilt in your fridge if you don't use them. Or, like me tonight, aren't sure what your going to make and haven't gone to the store yet this week!

2 chicken breasts
2 cubes chicken bouillon or use chicken broth and eliminate the water
1 Tbsp. minced onion (I didn't have any so I used onion powder and added a little more and it was good too)
4 cups water
2-3 carrots finely sliced (I usually use more cuz Kelan loves carrots)
1 stalk of celery, chopped (I use more celery too, about 3-4 stalks)
1-2 cups of extra wide egg noodles
salt (I leave salt out because there is plenty in the bouillon cubes)
pepper
dash of season salt (I use more than a dash.. another good reason to leave out the salt!)
mashed potatoes (potato buds work great and are MUCH easier!)

Combine all ingredients except noodles in medium size saucepan. Boil for 20 minutes lowering heat so you don't boil over. Remove chicken and cut into bite size pieces and return back to broth. Add noodles. Simmer 10-12 minutes until done. Add more water if needed. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Beans and Cornbread

My mom used to make these beans all the time. They're great for a busy day because you can throw them in the crock pot in the morning, and when you get home your house smells yummy and your dinner's ready!

Ingredients:
1 pound pinto beans
4-6 pieces of uncooked bacon
cornbread mix - I use the Marie Calendar mix from the store. You just add water and some canned corn if you have it and it's ready to bake.

I quick soak my beans just before I cook them. It's easier for me than trying to remember to soak them overnight. Rinse the beans, put them in a large pot and cover with water. You need enough water for the beans to double in size. Usually about four inches higher than the beans. DO NOT add any salt to the water! It will toughen the skins. Bring them to a boil. Boil them for two minutes, then cover them and move to another burner. Soak them for about an hour.

Once the hour is over, drain the beans and pour them into a crock pot. Add water until it is about two inches higher than the beans. Cut the bacon into pieces and stir into the pot. Cook them on HIGH for at least four hours. Add 1 tbsp. salt and 2 tbsp. pepper to the pot about an hour before you plan to eat them. You can cook them just about as long as you want, so don't worry if you're out and it has been four hours.

I make the cornbread about 30 minutes before we eat.

*save the leftover beans and mash them the next day for tostados or burritos. I add a can of diced tomatoes, a can of diced green chiles and about 1/4 cup dried onion for flavor.

Peanut Butter Smores

These are the perfect mix of sweet and salty! They are a great alternative to the regular chocolate smores and can be made anytime in your oven! I love to make them for Family Home Evening because they are super easy and Janie loves to be my marshmallow helper! Try them, you'll be addicted!

1 package (sleeve) Ritz crackers

1 bag large marshmallows

Peanut Butter

Spread as much peanut butter on each Ritz cracker. Top with a marshmallow. Put in your oven on broil. You can make them as brown, burned or golden as you like! Enjoy!

Jon's Quesadillas

I was lucky enough to marry a man that likes to cook. In fact, he even went to culinary school back when we were dating. The fact that he is a great cook can be intimidating at times, but mostly it is a benefit, especially when he decides to grace me with a delicious dish. I can't remember when or why he made these quesadillas when my sister Carrie was over, but he did and she loved them. She told me recently that when she was going to give herself a "cheat meal" on her diet, the one thing she wanted was for Jon to make her his quesadillas. So, here is the recipe...I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb cooked chicken (about 1 cup cut up) - optional, these can be made without meat and still just as good!

4 flour tortillas (8-10 inches)

1/4 cup soft cream cheese - stir in 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (2 ounces)

chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, if desired

sliced jalepeno chili, if desired

salsa, if desired

*Heat the oven to 450 degrees
Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces
Place 2 tortillas on the ungreased cookie sheet. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese over each tortilla. Top with the chicken, mozz cheese and feta cheese. Top with the 2 remaining tortillas.
Bake about 5 mins or just until cheese is melted.
To serve, cut each quesadilla into 8 wedges. Sprinkle with cilantro. Garnish each wedge with jalepeno chili, using a toothpick to hold in place. Serve with salsa.

Tuxedo Salad

This recipe came from a friend of mine. I made it for the first time for a baby shower and have made it for almost every big event since. Everyone always loves it and it makes SO much that is is a great salad to make for a large group of people. It is super easy and not expensive to make. So, if your looking for a great salad to make for an upcoming event look no more.. this salad is the one!!

Tuxedo Salad

Ingredients:
16 oz Bow Tie Pasta

The Marinade:
1 cup oil
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
6 Tbsp. Sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook the pasta the night before your going to serve it and add cooked pasta to marinade. I use a large scent free trash bag to mix everything together.

The Salad
10 oz baby spinach (spring greens works great too)
6 oz craisons
2 can mandarin oranges
3 chopped green onions
1/4 cup sesame seeds
6 oz honey roasted peanuts
Teriyaki chicken (you can find this at Costco) *warm following directions on bag and slice

Add pasta to salad right before serving.
Enjoy! Serves about 25 people

Heath Bar Cake

Or better know as... "Better Than Sex Cake". When I was newly married I was working in a dental office and they would do recipe exchanges. They would all bring in their wonderful recipe's along with the food to try. It was very intimidating. I hated recipe exchange day. I hated the ladies. I quit pretty soon after. I didn't have very many recipes and poor Ryan would suffer through the stuff I tried to make. Mostly Costco frozen dinners or take-out. It was one of the best times of my life but I was young and not a very good cook. So, I moved on to beauty school and the only thing I took with me from the experience of working in that dental office was this recipe. I only knew it as "Heath Bar Cake". I would make it and people would say oh this tastes like "Better Than Sex"! I would think "Oh, that's a nice compliment!" It wasn't until just yesterday that my sister Jen asked me for the "Better Than Sex Cake" recipe that it occurred to me. It wasn't people giving me a compliment, this is what the Heath Bar Cake is nicknamed! I'm a little slow and it usually takes one of my sisters to help me sink things in but I finally put two and two together! So thanks Jen and here you go..

Better Than Sex Cake

German Chocolate Cake Mix

small can sweetened condensed milk

carmel topping

cool whip

2 Heath Bars

Bake cake as directed in 9x13 pan. While cake is still warm poke holes in it with a wooden spoon. Pour over cake sweetened milk. Warm in microwave carmel topping and pour over cake. Chill and top with Cool Whip and crushed Heath Bars.

3 sisters recipe blog

Almost every day I start making phone calls to my sisters.. what are you cooking for dinner? We each have a completely different cooking style but are all three pretty good at following a recipe. So, I thought I'd start this recipe blog so we could more easily share our favorite recipes. I hate thumbing through cookbooks trying to figure out what to make and then trying something new and it being gross. So, my hope is that with this blog anyone reading can trust that the recipes posted are tried and yummy!