Garlic chicken

No picture, sorry, but we JUST ate this for dinner and my whole family loved it!

4 chicken breasts pounded thin or just buy them thin.

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup melted butter

garlic cheese spread (near cheese, butter or sour cream section in a tub)

mix bread crumbs and Parmesan

dip chicken into butter then Parmesan/bread crumb mixture. Place heaping spoonful of garlic cheese spread on top and roll (I secured mine with a toothpick). Place in a 8x8 pan. Drizzle remaining butter over chicken and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Taco Meat

Yum! Lately I have been changing my taco meat up a little bit. This recipe makes a lot and is great for a larger crowd but still only uses 1 lb of hamburger meat.

1 tsp oil

2 peppers (green, red.. whatever)

3 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

salt, pepper

1 lb ground beef

saute peppers and onion in oil for about 3-5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and boil until water is dissolved. add spices, garlic and ground beef. cook until meat is crumbly and brown. Serve with your favorite taco toppings.

Sweet Ham Sandwiches

white rolls or potato rolls
deli-sliced honey ham
provolone cheese slices
Sauce:
1 can crushed pineapple, drained well (save juice)
3/4 cup mayo
2 Tbs. brown sugar
little bit of pineapple juice
*Mix really well and then assemble sandwich with a generous spoonful of sauce.

Sunday Dinner Made Easy

Another recipe I got off another blog that was yummy! No picture but if I did take one it wouldn't do the recipe justice!

1 1/2 pounds stew meat
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
2 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
*Put in crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Mix well before serving over mashed potatoes.

Interesting and spicy but good.

That was the reaction I got from Ryan after he tasted this salad I made for dinner last night. I would have to agree.

Salad:

1 package cooked, rinsed and cooled linguine

1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa Cabbage

1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage

1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach

1 red bell pepper sliced thin

1 orange bell pepper sliced thin

1 yellow bell pepper sliced thin

1 small bag bean sprouts

3 sliced green onions (use the whole thing)

3 peeled, sliced cucumbers

1 bunch chopped cilantro

1 can whole, lightly toasted in a skillet, cashews

Dressing:

juice of 1 lime

8 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp Sesame Seed oil

8 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp fresh ginger chopped

2 or more cloves garlic chopped

2 jalapenos chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro

*If you don't like spicy or want your kids to eat this salad try the dressing with only 1 jalapeno pepper. Also, the dressing will keep up to 3 days in the fridge without the cilantro added.

Very Quick Lasagna

I love making this on those nights when I don't want to put a lot into dinner, but still want something yummy.

1 package frozen ravioli (any filling)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 large package shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package shredded parmesan cheese

Layer in 9x13 pan
Spaghetti sauce
Ravioli (still frozen)
cheeses
Spaghetti sauce

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour

Baked Lemon Pasta

I tried this tonight and it was delish!!

1 pound thin spaghetti
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste if desired
Plenty of grated Parmesan cheese
Flat leaf parsley, chopped
Extra lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT.When butter is melted, add minced garlic.Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary.Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top.Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley.Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Serve with crusty French bread and a simple green salad.

Kirsten's Lasagna

My wonderful cuzy made this lasagna for our family for dinner one night and it was absolutely to die for! I don't have a picture, but try it.. you will love, love, LOVE it!

Four Cheese and Spinach Lasagna

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 dry lasagna noodles (not no-boil)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10-ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed
1 pound cottage cheese (about 1 3/4 cups)
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or a combination
1 pound pre-shredded mozzarella, shredded (about 4 cups)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 large egg, beaten
4 cups tomato sauce, recipe follows, or your favorite jarred

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the lasagna noodles and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat until the garlic begins to brown. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and stir until the spinach dries out and the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Cool.
Mix the cottage cheese, goat cheese, Parmesan/Pecorino, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg, cayenne, and cooled spinach in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the egg.
Cover the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch casserole with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Cover with 3 of the noodles placed side-to-side, but not overlapping. Top with a 1/4 of the cheese mixture and about a half cup of tomato sauce. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Repeat to make 2 more layers. Cover lasagna layers with remaining noodles, dollop remaining cheese mixture on top. Drizzle with remaining tomato sauce, then scatter the remaining 2 cups mozzarella on top. Bake, uncovered, until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Spaghetti Chicken and Asparagus

Spaghetti Chicken

10-15 frozen chicken tenders

1/2 onion, chopped

1 envelope spaghetti sauce seasoning (Lawry's)

*put on high in crock pot for 3 hours

*melt in saucepan:

1/4 cup butter

2 cans cream of chicken soup

8 oz cream cheese

*add to crock pot and cook for a couple more hours. (I turned mine to low)

serve over angel hair pasta noodles

Yummy and kids loved it.. just wish it had a more creative name!!

Asparagus:

Fresh asparagus

olive oil

Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix

*cut off bottoms of asparagus. arrange asparagus in a single level on a cookie sheet. Drizzle or brush olive oil over asparagus. Sprinkle seasoning on top. Broil for 5 minutes.

I love asparagus but it always takes so long to steam. This is even better than steamed! Try it all you asparagus lovers.. you won't be disappointed!

Pork Chops Another Way

I tried this recipe the other night and Ryan really liked it. So did my kids. It was good. Good enough to make it to this recipe blog.

6 Boneless, thin-cut pork chops

1 onion sliced thin

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 package (6 oz) stuffing mix for chicken

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat large skillet on stove and spray with cooking spray. Add pork chops and onions. Cook until done. Turning once. (about 10 minutes). Remove pork chops and continue cooking onions adding Worcestershire for about 5 minutes. Return pork chops to skillet and top with onions. Mix stuffing mix with 1 1/2 cups hot water and spoon around the edges of the skillet. Top with cheese and cook for 10 more minutes.

Stir-Fried Beef and Peppers

I found this recipe when I was first married and still love to make it. It is healthy and delicious!

1 pound lean beef, cut in paper-think strips (I buy the pre-cut beef for stir fry at Safeway in the meat section)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 pound mushrooms sliced

1 medium onion sliced

2 green peppers cut in strips

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine meat strips with soy sauce, lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar, and ginger. Let stand while preparing veggies.

Heat oil in a large frying pan or Dutchoven.

Stir fry mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and salt until veggies are tender-crisp (i like mine a little softer)

Remove veggies from pan and reserve oil

Stir fry meat in the hot oil until done

Add veggies and stir until hot

Serve with cooked rice

*We don't eat it with rice to lower the carbs.

*I use about 1.5 lbs meat and I double the meat mixture ingredients because we like our's a little more saucey.

Jenny's Cheese Ball

My sister Jen has a cheese ball that is to die for! She makes it for pretty much every family Christmas party and I had my first attempt at making it last week. It turned out pretty well, but somehow I think Jen's just has the perfect touch!

2 pkgs cream cheese (8oz each)-softened

2-4 green onions chopped
1 cup finely shredded mild cheddar

1 cup coconut

1 cup craisins

1-2 cups walnuts

coarsely chip 3/4 cup and put rest on outside of ball

mix all ingredients (except for the leftover walnuts) in a mixer until well mixed

form into a ball with your hands

put the rest of the chopped walnuts on the outside of the ball

wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refridgerate until firm - place on plate

Pour 1 jar of Mango Chutney over top of ball right before you serve it

serve with ritz crackers

*Mango Chutney can be found at Safeway by the salad dressing.

Chili's Salsa

Chips and salsa is pretty much my weakness! Chili's restaurant chips and salsa is pretty much my fave. Here is the recipe to make Chili's salsa...yum!

1 (15 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 medium onion

1-3 tablespoons canned diced jalapenos

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend till consistency you like.

I like my salsa very spicy, so I use 2 tablespoons of the jalepenos and 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin. If you want it more mild, go on the easy side of those ingredients.

Chicken Parmesan

This is the best chicken parmesan recipe I have ever had. I got the recipe from my trusty cookbook from Aunt Cheri. Make it tonight....it's yummy!

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts( I only make 4)
2 cups cornflakes crumbs
2 cups parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cube butter
2 eggs beaten

Mix cornflake crumbs and all seasonings together
Dip chicken in beaten eggs then roll in cornflake crumbs and parmesan cheese mixture
Place in a 9x13 pan greased with some butter
Melt 1 cube of butter in a bowl in the microwave and pour butter over chicken and sprinkle any remaining cornflake mixture over chicken
Cover and bake 375 degrees for 1 hour - uncover and bake till coating is crispy, 20-30 minutes

I make spagetti to serve along with this. I use the Prego Marinara sauce in a jar and put in on the spagetti and some on the chicken parmesan....tastes very similar to Olive Garden's chicken parmesan this way. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

I found a great recipe for Sugar Cookies. These are just like the delicious soft, fluffy ones you can buy in the store with the pink frosting. I am not kidding, they are so delish!

Cream: 1 cup butter

Work in: 1 cup sugar

Add: 2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk in a bowl: 3 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Add alternatley with the dry mixture in thirds to the butter/sugar mix: 1/2 cup sour cream

Chill: 2-3 hours

Roll out and cut into shapes

Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes

Frosting: My Grandma Dever is known for her great sugar cookie frosting. Of course it's one of those recipes where there really isn't a set recipe...she just kind of makes it by heart. Well, I finally got the basic recipe from her and her extra tips to make it extra special.

4 tablespoons butter

2 1/3 cup powdered sugar (more or less to taste)

milk (1 tbsp for thicker frosting, add more milk to thin it out if you want to make it like Grandma's)

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter with electric mixer until fluffy. Then add about half the powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk and vanilla. Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar. Add more milk if needed. Add food coloring. One recipe makes about enough to frost half a cake so you may need to double it.

*To make the frosting more like a thin glaze like Grandma's, use more milk and frost the cookies while they are still hot. It keeps the frosting thin. I kind of like mine a little thicker so I waited until they were cooled to frost. Try both and see how you like it best!

**Don't forget to let the kids help! :-)

Crock Pot Chicken

Here is another great recipe from the Schmitz clan...Carrie's in-laws. Glenna has passed on some great recipes to Carrie and she has passed them on to me. Sorry no pics for this one, but trust me it is good...really good!

4 large chicken breasts
2 tbsp melted butter
salt and pepper
2 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp minced onions

Brush chicken with butter, salt, and pepper. Place in crock pot. Sprinkle with dressing mix. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 6 hours. About 45 minutes before serving, brown onions and mix with cream cheese, soup, and water in saucepan. Cook until smooth (will still be kind of chunky), then pour over chicken and cook for 30 minutes more. Serve with egg noodles or rice ( i like egg noodles)

Cathy's Pasta Salad

My street is having a block party tonight in my cul-de-sac for Halloween. I was asked to bring pasta salad because one of the other girls has had it and loved it. I give all credit to my step-mom Cathy because it's her recipe. This is my favorite thing to make for BBQ's and I can eat way too much of it. This is one dish that if you take to a party, you usually don't go home with any. Happy Halloween!

Cathy's Pasta Salad

multi colored pasta (cook as directed)

sliced carrots
broccoli
cauliflower
celery
cherry tomatoes sliced in half
black olives whole
cucumbers
Bernstein's Italian Dressing

* can add or not include any vegetables you have, don't have or don't like

combine all veggies and pasta and add one bottle of Bernstein's Italian dressing or until covered and moist ( use the Bernstein's Cheese and Garlic Italian...yum!)
you can add a pinch or two of fennel seeds.. I like it when its added, it adds a really good flavor.

Crock Pot Green Chile

When I got married my Aunt Cheri gave me a wonderful cook book that she made, full of her delicious recipes. This cook book has been my #1 cook book for the last 2.5 years. I know I can try just about any recipe out of it and it will be good. Well, there is a recipe in there that is hand-written. It is from Cheri's mother-in-law...Grandma Hall. On the recipe, she wrote "JW likes them". JW is my cousin. I think it is so cool to have recipes handed down that are loved in the family.
I hope you enjoy! Sorry no pic this time.

2 lbs stew meat (fat trimmed away)
1 large onion - shopped
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 large can chopped green chilis
1 large can tomato sauce (the biggest one, not the soup size can)

Layer all ingredients in crock pot with meat on bottom. Turn on low and cook 10 hours or overnight. Stir only after it has cooked for 5 hours. Spoon on large flour tortillas and wrap to form burro. Burro may be deep-fried if desired.

*I have never cooked mine the whole 10 hours and they still turn out great. I usually put it on around 10am and we'll eat around 5 or 6pm.*

*Also, this is great to eat even just in a bowl and not made in a burrito. I had mine in a bowl tonight since I didn't want the carbs and it was still delicious.*

*You can also put some shredded cheese in the burrito to make it even more tasty.*

Foil Dinner

Sorry we haven't posted a recipe in a while. Carrie is busy moving, Jen is busy with her three kids and all the things they have going on and I have just been making dinners that we already have on here. I recently made the Apricot chicken, Mozzarella chicken, and Better than Sex Cake and they were all so good! Oh, I also made Grandma's beef stew and LOVED it! Anyway, I just started a low carb diet to try to lose the rest of this baby weight so I will be posting lots of low-carb meals on here since I will be trying a lot of new dishes. The first one I have for you is the old camping classic Foil Dinner. This is normally something you would make over the fire or grill out in the woods, but I have a recipe for one that you bake in the oven and I thought it would be something different to try. I really liked how it came out.

1 1/2 pounds ground hamburger meat

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope onion soup mix

2 medium carrots-quartered (I just cut up a bag of already peeled baby carrots)

2 stalks celery (i used about 4 so there were more veggies)

3 medium potatoes - pared & quartered (i put these in for my hubby but didn't eat them since they add carbs)

3 tablespoons water

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, leaving edges to bring up and together to seal.

Stir together mushroom soup and onion soup mix, spread over meat. Top with veggies, sprinkle water over veggies. Fold over foil and seal securely. Cook 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

Sprinkle with salt/pepper if desired.

*not the best picture, but mine never are! :-)*

How to eat 200 peaches in a few days!

Yummy Peach Smoothie

1 large peach pitted (or 2 medium)
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup crushed ice
1/4 cup sugar

Blend in blender until smooth.