Monday, December 28, 2009

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

You will need:
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1 egg
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
* note this does not make a very big batch, so you might want to double it.

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
  2. Combine ingredients.
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3. Drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet. Use a fork to press down cookie and make traditional peanut butter cookie marks. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until done. Let cool on cookie rack.
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Saturday, November 28, 2009

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

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INGREDIENTS:

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and cut into bite size pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can rotel
1-2 cups cheddar cheese
Package of corn tortillas (small)

Tear the tortillas into small pieces and line the bottom of a pan. Mix together the soups, rotel and chicken and pour on top. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Herb and Garlic Lemon Chicken with Green Beans and Roasted New Potatoes

I adapted this great recipe from Kelly's Recipes.
You will need:
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6 tablespoons olive oil (I drizzled until I thought it was enough.)
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced (I used an Herb & Garlic Lemon marinade instead)
4 cloves garlic (I did not use any garlic.)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 lb green beans (I used 1 can of French style green beans.)
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 chicken breasts (I had chicken tenders, so I used 6.)

1. Wash and slice potatoes. (I always zap mine in the microwave after cutting them for about 2-3 minutes because they are never cooked enough for me in the oven.)
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2. Place green beans in casserole dish.
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3. Place chicken on top of green beans.
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4. Pour marinade over chicken. Place potatoes around the side of the dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
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5. Bake in oven at 450 for 40 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked. Broil for a few minutes to get potatoes crisp. Enjoy!
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Sunday, November 15, 2009

No Bake Pumpkin Pie

You will need:
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Graham Crackers (Cinnamon or Plain)
1 Can of Pumpkin Pie Filling
Whipped Topping
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar

Add sugar and cinnamon to pumpkin pie filling and microwave 1-2 minutes.
While filling is in the microwave, crumble up about 2 graham crackers per serving.
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Layer warm pumpkin pie filling on top of crumbled graham crackers.
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Top with whipped topping.
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Enjoy!!!

Spinach and Cheese Quiche

You will need:
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One 12-ounce can evaporated skimmed milk
1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
3 egg whites
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
One 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Plain Pie Crust, baked and cooled (I highly suggest a deep dish crust.)

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, cottage cheese, Parmesan, eggs, egg whites, salt and pepper.
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3. Place the pie plate on a jelly-roll pan; spread the spinach over the pie crust, then pour the filling over the spinach.
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4. Bake 15 minutes; reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and bake until the filling is set, 20 minutes longer.
5. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Mississippi Mud Cake

You will need:
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1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 (10.5 ounce) bag of mini marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting

1.Whisk together melted butter ad next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in flour and pecans. Pour into a greased and floured jelly roll (15 x 10 inch) pan.
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2. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and top with marshmallows. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes. Heat chocolate frosting in microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Drizzle cake with Chocolate frosting. Cool completely.
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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

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Ingredients

* 2-3 lbs chicken (thighs and drumsticks, skin on and bone in)
* 1/2 lb of carrot chips or sliced carrots
* 4 stalks celery, halved
* 1/2 large onion, halved
* 2 bay leaves
* water to cover
* salt and pepper to taste
* Egg noodles

Directions

1. Put the chicken, carrots, celery and onion in a large soup pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken meat falls off of the bones (skim off foam every so often). (It took about hour and 20 minutes to cook, when we did it.) When soup has about 10 minutes left to simmer, cook noddles according to directions.
2. Take everything out of the pot. Strain the broth. Pick the meat off of the bones and chop the carrots, celery and onion. Season the broth with salt, pepper to taste. Return the chicken, carrots, celery and onion to the pot, stir together.
3. Serve with egg noodles.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Pizza Crackers

These are so delicious and simple! These will be perfect for a party or just for a snack.

You will need:
Ritz crackers
Pepperoni (I always use Turkey Pepperoni)
Cheese of Your Choice (I used Pepperjack this time and it was great. Of course, Cheddar is perfect, too!)

Here are the extremely easy directions:
Place cracker on plate. Layer cheese and pepperonis on top. Heat in microwave for about 30 seconds. Enjoy!

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How to Cook the Best Hot Dog

This might be silly to post, but I know somebody out there is like me and will want to know. Several months ago, I wanted to cook a really good hot dog. I didn't know how though! I had only cooked hot dogs on the grill or in the microwave. Those hot dogs just didn't have the taste that I wanted, so I turned to the internet. I found a site that I can't remember anymore that said this was the best way to cook a hot dog. So, I tried it. They were right. It is the best.

It's easy peasy, too! But maybe you are smarter than me and know how to do this already! If not, read on!

Get a skillet and just fill it up a little bit with water (not half way). Turn your stove on medium high to high. Put the hot dog in. Let cook until the water has cooked out of the skillet. This will let the hot dog become steamed and plump. Once the water is gone, let it cook a few seconds longer in the skillet to get browned. And that's it! The best tasting hot dog you will ever have! I promise!

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Southwestern Chicken Sandwiches

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You will need:
4 skinned and boned chicken breasts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup (4-ounces) shredded Mexican four cheese blend
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 French bread slices, toasted or just use buns like I did!

1. Place chicken between two sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap, adn flattern to 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

2. Stir together cilantro and next 4 ingredients. Spread on chicken.
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3. Grill, covered with lid, over medium high heat 8 to 10 minuteson each side or until chicken is done. (Or cook in the skillet, like I did!)
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4. Meanwhile, stir together cheese and mayonnaise. Spread on bread slices. Place bread, cheese mixture side up, on a baking sheet. Broil 6 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese melts.
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5. Place chicken on bread. I served with fries and black beans mixed with chopped onions and sour cream (not pictured).
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Snack Crackers

These are so yummy! Perfect for a party!IMG_5742
You will need:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (1-ounce) envelope Ranch dressing mix
1 (10-ounce) package oyster crackers
1/2 (10-ounce) package bite-size Cheddar cheese crackers (2 cups)

1. Whisk together oil and dressing mix in large bowl.
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2. Add crackers, tossing to coat.
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3. Spread mixture in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet.
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4. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, stirring after 7 minutes.
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5. Let cool in a single layer on wax paper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Enjoy!!!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Easy Alfredo

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 tsp. garlic powder or 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups milk
1/3 cup. grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Your favorite type of pasta

I love bow tie!

  1. Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. While butter is melting, in another pot boil pasta.
  2. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth.
  3. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps.
  4. Stir in Parmesan and pepper.
  5. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken quickly, so thin it with milk if cooked too long.
6. Drain pasta.
7. Pour sauce on warm pasta and serve!

Baked Ziti


This is my go to recipe because I always have the ingredients. If I don't have beef, I just make it a cheese baked ziti!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
3 cups ziti cooked and drained (I use whatever kind of pasta I have in my pantry!)
1 (26-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided (Sometimes, if I don't have these cheeses I just use a Mexican four cheese blend that I ALWAYS have in my fridge. It is still yummy!)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large skillet, brown meat and drain. Stir in ziti, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Spoon into 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from The Frog Commissary Cookbook)

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups oats (rolled or "quick," but not "instant")
2 cups chocolate chips (about 12-oz.)


Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until mixture is light in color.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
...followed by the milk ...
and the vanilla extract.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the flour in to the sugar mixture until just incorporated.
Stir in the oats...
and chocolate chips by hand.
Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart so they have room to spread.

Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and light golden at the center.
Cool on baking sheet for at least 1-2 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Makes 4 dozen.

These were very delicious! A perfect cookie for fall!