Slow Cooker Saucy Swiss Steak

This recipe is from http://www.kraftfoods.com/. It was so simple and quick and easy... I will definitely be making it again sometime soon.

(Sorry that there are no pictures... I forgot to take any!)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1 boneless chuck blade or shoulder steak (1 lb.), cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup beef broth
1 green pepper, chopped (I used 2 green peppers)
1/2 cup shredded Swiss Cheese

Directions:

HEAT dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, coat steaks with flour; gently shake off excess flour. Add to skillet; cook 2 to 3 min. on each side or until steaks are browned on both sides. Remove from heat.

COMBINE tomatoes, broth and tomato paste in slow cooker. Add steaks and peppers; cover with lid. Cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours (or on LOW 8 to 10 hours).

SPRINKLE with cheese just before serving.

We served this meal with mashed potatoes and loved it! Seriously - it was a big hit. Give it a try! We recommend it.

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

Jeremy and I made this delicious meal together on Sunday. It was amazing!

The recipe is from http://www.kraftfoods.com/.

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese (I used the low fat kind)

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

6 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese

1 1/2 lb. of boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to a 1/4 inch thickness

(we used 4 large chicken breast and cut them in half to form 8 chicken bundles)

1 egg

10 Ritz crackers, crushed

1 1/2 cups prepared spaghetti sauce, heated

Directions:

HEAT oven to 375ºF. Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella and 3 Tbsp. Parmesan until well blended; spread onto chicken breasts. Starting at one short end of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Set aside.

BEAT egg in shallow dish. Mix remaining Parmesan and cracker crumbs in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve topped with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella. (We served it over angel hair pasta).

We LOVED it! It tasted "restaurant" quality to us. It was time consuming to make though... although once we got the hang of it - it went much more quickly - so probably next time it won't take as long.

Chewy Caramels

I have always wanted to be able to make homemade, yummy, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth caramels... but I was scared to. Doesn't it sound hard?? I don't own a candy thermometer and the whole "drop it in cold water and check to see if it has reached the soft ball stage" concept intimidated me. HOWEVER - this year I decided to try to overcome this ridiculous fear... and so I found this easy "no fail" recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/ - and decided to give it a try (with Jeremy's help and moral support of course).

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
1 pound light brown sugar (= 2 1/2 cups)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light corn syrup
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Directions
In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. Cook for 2 minutes at that temperature. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. (This whole process took approx. 30 minutes of constant stirring - thanks for stirring Jeremy!)

Meanwhile, butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. When the caramel is ready, pour into the buttered pan (we lined the pan with wax paper instead). Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Remove from the pan and cut into squares using scissors. Wrap individual pieces in waxed paper or cellophane.

This made more than 144 individual caramels (that took at least 45 minutes to cut and wrap). But they turned out delicious! I am so happy with them and proud of us for trying something new. :)

Mummies

I made these "mummies" for Isaac's playgroup Halloween party. I wanted to make something that wasn't "sugary" and was a little bit more like "real food" since we were having the event around lunch time. Anyway, I got this idea from my genius sister-in-law Michelle.

So quick - so easy...

Ingredients:

hot dogs

crescent roll dough

ketchup or mustard

Instructions:

Cut the crescent roll dough into thin strips and wrap around the hot dog like a mummy. (I chose to cut the hot dog in half length wise - as a choking precaution for these little kids - and I then cut them in half again to make them more like a finger food - since I was feeding mostly little kids under the age of 2) Then bake them according to the package directions on the crescent roll can. Use the ketchup or mustard to make "eyes."

We'll definitely make these again. They were yummy and easy. :)

White Chicken Chili

So... dinner at our ward Halloween party was a Chili Potluck. People signed up to bring Chili to share. And this one was AMAZING!! I tasted it and fell immediately in love. I went back for seconds (luckily there was still a little left) and I still wouldn't even give Jeremy a bite - it was too good! I couldn't spare even a spoonful! So - after failing to locate the creator of this dish and knowing that we had to leave the party soon - and fearing that I would never be reconnected with this delicacy - I decided to leave a note (confessing my true love) in the empty chili pan and beg for the chef to email me the recipe. And... happy ending... it worked! So - I haven't made this yet, but I can attest that it is super delicious and I look forward to making it SOON. Here's the recipe...

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 Med. White onions- chopped

1 t Garlic Powder

1 t Oregano

2 t Cumin

½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper (optional)

2 Small cans Green Chilies- Diced

4 cans 15oz. White Great Northern beans (drained)

3 cups chicken broth (2 cans)

1 Chicken bouillon cube

4 cups cooked chicken breast – diced into bite-sized pieces. (that is about 6-8 chicken breasts)

2 cans white corn- (un-drained)

32 oz. Sour cream

Instructions:

Sauté onions in 1/2 cube butter in pot. Add everything but sour cream. Cook 30 min (longer for crockpot). Add sour cream (wait until 10 minutes before serving to add this when cooking in a crock pot). Cook 10 minutes.

Top with grated jack cheese

** The Chili that I tasted did not have the optional Cayenne Pepper in it... so try that at your own risk. Also, just for my own future reference - I would probably choose to only put in 2 cups of cooked chicken breast - it just seeme a little dense on the chicken for my liking - BUT - other than that... it was the pinnacle of perfection! ENJOY. **

Quick and Easy Homemade Bread

I love this homemade bread recipe. It is quick and easy. :) And yummy! What's not to like?? Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water

6 T. oil

6 T. honey (or sugar)

1 1.2 tsp. salt

1 T. dough enhancer

4 cups flour (any combo of wheat and white)

1 1/2 T. Saf Instant Yeast

Combine all of these ingredients in a mixer of sorts (like a Bosch or a Kitchenaid) and mix for 8-10 minutes. While the dough is mixing slowly add 3 more cups of flour (for a total of 7 cups).

Oil bread pans and divide dough into 2 or 3 even loaves and place them in the bread pans to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.

This recipe can make 2 big loaves or 3 smaller loaves - or I often make 2 loaves and an 8x8 pan of cinnamon rolls because my Honey LOVES cinnamon rolls and I like to see him smile. :) I have also used this recipe to make homemade soup bowls - and that worked great as well. I actually make this bread all of the time (usually once a week) because it is SO fast and easy.

After the dough has risen, bake the bread at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. I use a meat thermometer to determine if the bread is done or not. 180 degrees on the meat thermometer means that your bread is finished! Then I butter the tops of the loaves and take them out of the bread pans to cool. YUM - nothing is quite as delectable as fresh, warm, homemade bread.

To make the bread into cinnamon rolls I just roll the dough out - melt some butter (maybe 1-2 T.) and sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar over the dough. Then I roll it up and cut the log into 9 cinnamon rolls and let them rise in the 8x8 pan. Yummy and easy (aka PERFECT).

This recipe was passed on to me by my amazing sister, Tiffany. Thank you Tiffany!

The Perfect Cake

This year for Jeremy's birthday I wanted to find a cake that he would LOVE. He's just not a huge cake fan... but I came across this little beauty and now there is no going back! We are in love. I think this will be the new family cake - the classic - the "go-to" cake for all birthdays. Oh - it was delicious. Now I am trying to find an excuse to make it again - and soon. Any occasions that you can think of????

Pistachio Cake

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
3 eggs
2 (3 ounce) packages instant pistachio pudding mix
1 tub whipped cream
1 cup milk

Instructions:

Beat cake mix, oil, soda, eggs, and first package of pudding until smooth. Pour batter into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 30 - 45 minutes, or cake tests done.

Beat cool whip, milk, and second package pudding; pour over cake. Refrigerate.

This recipe is from the website http://allrecipes.com/.

So - the cake turned out light and moist and PERFECT. I have read that you can try this with any pudding/cake flavors. Now I am dying to try a vanilla pudding cake, or a chocolate pudding cake (maybe with chocolate cake mix too), or a coconut cream pie cake? Anyway, next time I try it I want to try reducing the oil and see how it goes. I totally recommend this simple recipe. I hope that you like it too!

BBQ Cups

You know me... I go for QUICK and EASY (and yummy!). So, I have recently fallen in love with this beautiful and simple recipe. It will definitely become one of our "usuals".

BBQ Cups

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2/3 c. BBQ sauce

shredded cheese

2 cans of quick small rolls

(found in the refrigerated area by the the croissants and cinnamon rolls in the grocery store. They come in packs of 8 or 10 usually, you can get the cheap ones that are like .50)

Ground the beef, add 2/3 of cup of BBQ Sauce, mix well.

Flatten and stretch out rolls and put them in a 12 cupcake holder pan.

Add the beef mixture in each little cup and put in oven.

Bake according to instructions on the rolls, usually 10-12 min.

About two minutes before done, pull out and add extra sauce on each and top with shredded cheese.

Serves 4.

Yum. I got this recipe from an email recipe exchange - thank you Becky!

Orange Cookies

So - usually I am not one to go for "citrus" desserts. They just don't do it for me. But this cookie I fell in LOVE with. It felt festive and light and fun and different and delicious! You HAVE to try them. Oh, and I made them today - so if you are in the area just stop by for a free sample. :)

Orange Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shortening or margarine

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 c. orange juice

1 T. orange rind

2 1/2 c. sifted flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Blend margarine, sugar, salt, and eggs. Add rind and juice, sift flour and baking powder and add. Mix until smooth but don't overmix. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Frost while slightly warm, or leave plain.

Frosting ingredients:

1 T. orange juice

1/2 tsp orange rind

1 T. melted margarine

1 c. powdered sugar

I got this recipe from an old nursing buddy, Camber. Thanks Camber!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

We love homemade Chicken Noodle Soup - especially if we can enjoy it with warm biscuits or homemade bread. Once I even made homemade soup bowls to go with it - super yummy!

Ingredients

onion

carrots

celery

zucchini

yellow squash

1 box rotini noodles

6-8 cups of chicken broth

1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into bit size pieces

1-2 Tbsp. butter

Italian seasoning

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Saute the veggies in 1-2 Tbsp. of butter until just tender - I usually add some salt & pepper for extra flavor

In a separate pan I cook 1 box of noodles according to the package instructions. My favorite is whole wheat rotini noodles - but whatever you have is great. Drain and set aside.

Combine 6-8 cups of chicken broth (I just use water and chicken boullion if that is all that I have), cooked chicken breast, cooked noodles, and veggies. Heat until warm throughout. I add salt & pepper, italian seasoning, and lemon pepper to taste - but you can season it however you like.

Serves at least 6.

Enjoy!

Meat Pie

Meat Pie

For some reason meat pie is one of my most comforting meals. I almost always seem to crave it and enjoy it - especially in the Fall and Winter months. Anyway, this is a SUPER fast and easy version of a meat pie recipe.

Pie Filling Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef, cooked and seasoned with salt and pepper (I use ground turkey)

1/2 bag frozen hashbrowns

1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Crust Ingredients for 1 single crust:

1 1/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. cold water

Instructions:

Cut butter into flour and salt mixture. Add cold water. Stir or knead until you have a sticky ball of dough. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

The recipe calls for 4 hours of refrigeration. I through it into the refrigerator while I brown the ground beef and mix the filling - so maybe 20-30 minutes - and it works just fine. :)

Brown and drain ground beef. Combine with other ingredients.

Roll out dough and place in a pie pan. Pour in filling. Roll out top crust and cover it all.

Voila! Meat pie!

I then bake it at about 325 - 350 degrees for about 45 -60 minutes. Just until the crust is nicely browned and the filling is bubbly hot.

Makes 1 meat pie. Serves 4-6 people.
This recipe is a variation of a recipe from my mother.
Ratings: Jeremy 3.5 - Kendra 4.5

Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini Casserole

This is a really simple dish - it's just a casserole - but we really like it!

1 1/2 lb. zucchini (6 cups) cut in 1/4 " slices

1 lb. ground beef (I use ground turkey and I only use a 1/2 lb.)

1/2 medium onion, finely choppped

1 1/2 c. uncooked white* rice

(brown rice works - but it take FOREVER to cook in this recipe - so I recommend using white)

2 cloves garlic, minced (I often don't have garlic - so I just sprinkle in a little garlic powder and call it good :)

1 t. Oregano (I use Italian Seasoning - because that's all I have)

2 c. cottage cheese

1 can cream of celery soup

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

1 c. water

Instructions:

Cook zucchini in boiled salted water until BARELY tender. Drain well.

Saute beef with onion and garlic, drain well.

Add rice and seasoning to the beef mixture, brown slightly.

Add water.

Place half of sliced zucchini on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

Cover with beef mixture.

Spoon cottage cheese over beef mixture.

Cover with remaining zucchini and then spread can of soup over all. Okay, I'll be honest - it always looks gross to me at this point - but don't worry - it's yummy!

Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle cheese ove rthe top. Check rice for tenderness and cook for 5 minutes more. This recipe is from my mother, Mickie Niland.

*I usually only cook with brown rice - and it does work in this recipe - but it take FOREVER to cook - so I recommend using white rice instead.
Rating: Jeremy 4 - Kendra 4.5

Zucchini Soup

Zucchini Soup

It's a different taste - but we really like it.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 1/2 T. olive oil1 ld. zucchini sliced

1 3/4 c. chicken brothpepper to taste

3/4 c. milk

squeeze of lemon juice*

salt to taste

Instructions:

In a large pan, saute the onion in olive oil for 3 minutes or until it is transparent.

Add the zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.

Stir in all remaining ingredients (EXCEPT milk) cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Puree the soup until smooth. (I have a wand blender that I use - but if you let the soup cool a bit you can just transfer it to your blender to blend it).

Add milk and reheat soup. Serve hot at this stage or transfer to the fridge and chill thoroughly to serve cold (we always eat it hot).

Makes 4 smallish servings.

*I sometimes just use lemon pepper seasoning - the lemon juice can be really strong so just add a little bit at a time so that you get the fresh zest of lemon and not lemon soup.

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini

This could be a yummy side dish if you wanted to - but we use it as a main dish.

Ingredients:

1 box stove top stuffing

3-4 medium zucchini

1 egg

2 c. cheese (any type) grated

1 26 oz. jar spaghetti

*chopped tomato, onion, garlic, olives, etc... (optional toppings/stir ins)

Instructions:

Scrub zucchini. Cut off the ends. Slice lengthwise in half. With spoon scoop out inside of zucchini into a medium bowl. Leave 1/4" rim on the boat.

Combine zucchini pulp with all other ingredients (EXCEPT spaghetti sauce).

Mix well.

Restuff boats with mixture.

Arrange boats in casserole dish (I use a 9x13 pan).

Pour spaghetti sauce over everything. Cover with tin foil.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes covered. When it is finished I always add some grated cheese to the top and broil it to make the cheese all yummy and bubbly.

Pork & Green Chile Burritos

Pork & Green Chile Burritos

Jeremy is in love. We ate this dish at a law school potluck event and I had to track down the recipe. We made it the next week and this recipe is definitely a keeper. YUM.

2 ½ lbs. pork roast (any cut)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp pepper
28 oz. mild green chile sauce

(I like the La Victoria and Old El Paso brands)

½ -1 cup brown sugar
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
flour tortillas (16+ medium)

1. Place pork roast in crockpot. Cook on high temperature for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, until meat is well done. Remove from crockpot and drain. Shred meat and place in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and garlic salt. Stir in 1/2 cup green chili sauce and brown sugar, to taste/moisture (I tend to do a little bit more green chili sauce and brown sugar, so it ends up a little more moist and sweet).

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Pour 1/2 cup green chili sauce into prepared pan. Place 1/3 cup meat mixture on each tortilla. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbs black beans and 1-2 tsp of chopped cilantro. (I don’t measure these, just put each on until it looks good.) Roll burrito and place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour 1 1/2 to 2 cups (whatever is left) of green chili sauce over burritos and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.

4. Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. After this I like to remove foil and broil for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is browned.

This recipe is from Jenny Infanger.

Ratings: Jeremy 5, Kendra 4.5

Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut Butter Bars

Combine:

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

2 cups oatmeal

Pat dough out into a lightly greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. If desired, sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips over the peanut butter bar and put back in the oven for another minute or two (just until the chocolate chips are slightly melted) and then spread the melted chocolate chips to cover the peanut butter bar.

Makes 3 dozen.

This recipe is from my sister, Tiffany Larson.

Rating: Jeremy 4 - Kendra 4