Baked Ziti

This recipe was soooo yummy. It's a must try. I found this on another person's blog and thought I would give it a try. I would do a few things differently so I'll post her recipe and then a few of my own added suggestions.


1lb ground beef
1 cup onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 (32 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1 (16 oz) package ziti pasta (cooked and drained)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook over medium high heat stirring frequently until the beef is browned. Stir in spaghetti sauce, chicken broth and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in 1 cup of sauce into the cooked ziti noodles. Spoon ½ of the ziti mixture into a 13×9” baking dish. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese and ½ cup parmesan cheese over the top of the ziti mixture. Top with 2 cups of the sauce, then add remaining ziti mixture and top that with the remaining sauce.

3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Return to over and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

*I would definitely add more garlic to this recipe and SALT and PEPPER. It needs an added kick. You could even do the minced garlic like it calls for and then add 1-2 tsp. garlic salt and 1-2 tsp. pepper. Also, an Italian Cheese blend would go perfectly with this dish.

Newlywed Chicken Casserole

For some they may refer to this dish as Poppy Seed Chicken. Well, not me. I like to call it Newlywed Chicken Casserole. Why, you might ask?
Well, when I was first married I didn't know how to cook a single thing. Okay, with the exception of scrambled eggs. That's it. So, I agonized at the thought of "fulfilling my newlywed roles" by having to cook anything. That's when I stumbled onto this recipe and it has become a family favorite that is a MUST have in everyone's recipe box. Still to this day, every time I make it, it reminds me of the newlywed times and how much we grew to love this dish. ENJOY!!

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts boiled and cubed
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 sleeves from a 16 oz. box of Ritz crackers crumbled (approx. 2 cups)
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1-2 tbsp. poppyseeds


In a medium bowl, combine cooked chicken, sour cream, and soup. Place in a casserole dish. In a small bowl combine crackers, poppyseeds, and butter. Sprinkle over top of chicken mixture.
Cook in a 350* preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

ANOTHER yummy pumpkin treat!
You will need for filling:

• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, soften
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel

For the muffins:

• 1 (14 oz.) pkg. Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread
• 3/4 Cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp. butter melted
• 1/4 Cup chopped nuts

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 and spray muffin tin
• Beat cream cheese in med. mixing bowl until soft. Add egg, sugar, and lemon peel. Beat until smooth
• Empty bread mix into another bowl. Remove 3/4 cup mix, set aside. Then add milk, oil, and egg, stir until blended.
• Fill each muffin tin with about 1/4 cup of the batter. Make indentation with small measuring spoon sprayed with non-stick. But a heaping Tbsp. of the cream cheese mix in center of each muffin.
• Add melted butter to remaining bread mix. Stir till crumbly. Add pecans. Crumble about a Tbsp. over muffins.
• Bake 20 min. Cool 10 min. in pan and then the rest on a cooling rack.

ENJOY!

Layer Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake

This is SO easy and SO tasty that it is a MUST HAVE for Thanksgiving!

You will need:

• No bake cheesecake mix
• Can (16 oz.) of pumpkin
• box of pumpkin spiced Jell-o
• Cool Whip for topping

Make your No Bake Cheesecake according to boxes directions. Then in med. bowl mix cup of milk, pumpkin, and Jell-o. Pour over cheesecake mix and refrigerate for four hours.

Put cool whip for topping and die happy it's so good and easy!

Crepes

These are Brandon's favorite breakfast meal! But recipes for this can be tricky, you can get some with little flavor or ones that tear every time your try to flip them. Well Brandon had crepes 90% of his mission so he is basically a master. So according to Brandon's Master Crepe Tasting Skills he says this is "The best crepes he has ever had!" So try for yourself and find out!?

What you will need:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

If you like them sweeter: (which we do!)

• 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a blender on pulse for 10 seconds. Put batter in refrigerator for at least 1 hour, it can last up to 48 hours. This will allow the bubbles to subside and your crepes wont tear easily.

Heat non-stick pan, pour a small amount into the pan and swirl to spread the batter evenly. The thinner the better. Cook 30 sec. on one side, flip, then 10 sec on the other side.

This will make 17-20 crepes. If you have leftovers, let crepes completely cool then freeze them!!! SO yummy reheated.

Aunt Kay's Amazing Rolls!

This is my Aunt's recipe! They are super easy and I think personally they are the best rolls ever! But that might just be because she is my aunt!
You will need (I am halving the recipe so if you are making them for Thanksgiving, then double it):

• 2 cups warm water (the temperature is important for the yeast to work right so room temp is always best)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast (the red star brand is her favorite)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

Mix these ingredients together in a large bowl and wait a few minuets until bubbling then add:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 stick of butter (soften)
• 5-6 cups flour (add more as needed)

Knead until all is blended. Bowl should scrape clean, if not it needs more flour. Let rise in bowl for 1 1/2 hours.

Put some flour on the counter and smash dough till even. Cut into circles (I just used a cup) and fold in half on a cookie sheet (use non-stick spray). Let rise for another 1 1/2 hours.

bake at 400 for 10 min.

You can also use this dough for:

• Bread sticks
• pizza dough
• bread

Or a mountain of rolls! ;)

Creamy BBQ Chicken Pizza

I am normally not a BBQ pizza fan because I feel like the sauce overwhelms the rest of the pizza. But this BBQ sauce is really creamy and a perfect compliment to the chicken and cheese!
For the dough refer to Aunt Kay's Amazing Rolls recipe OR use a store bough dough works great too!
For sauce you will need:

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup milk or whipped cream
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 cups honey BBQ sauce

In a med sauce pan melt your butter then add flour until you have a paste. Add milk and stir with a whisk until paste is dissolved and milk is bubbling. Add salt, Parmesan cheese, and BBQ sauce stir until bubbling. Let bubble for 2-3 min. then place on the pizza. This enough for 12 in pizza. Add more or less BBQ sauce depending on the size of pizza dough.

For the chicken I will use the costco canned chicken and shred it over the pizza and top with pizza seasoning. You can boil chicken and then shred it, I just do it my way because it's easier and taste just as good!

For topping go to town with your family favorites. Brandon loves mushrooms so sometimes I will saute those and then add some olives and tomatoes. Whatever sounds good to you, that's why I LOVE pizza!

Bake at 425 until crust is golden and cheese in bubbling. If you don't have a pizza stone I would suggest investing in one! It's the only way to cook a even crust!

Apple-Cider Doughnuts

Pair this up with some Hot Chocolate and call it a day! Seasonal and delicious!
You obviously wont be making these every day but it would be something fun to do with the kids or as a special holiday treat!
What you need:

• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 cup apple cider
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 Tbsp. shortening
• 1 large egg + egg yoke
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• vegetable oil for frying

Making the dough:

1. Whisk flour, baking powder and soda, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

2. In a large bowl beat 2/3 cup sugar and shortening, mix until sandy. Then beat in egg + yoke, and gradually mix in applesauce. Beat in 1/2 the flour mix, then add buttermilk and vanilla, and then finish beating in the rest of the flour mix. Dough should be sticky, don't overmix.

3. Scrape the dough on to some floured wax paper and pat into a 7x11 inch rectangle, about a 1 1/2 thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (you can even let it set up over night).

Making the Glaze:

4. Simmer the apple cider in a small pot over med-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Whisk powdered sugar in until dissolved. Set aside. Mix remaining cup of sugar and 2 tsp. of cinnamon in a shallow bowl; set aside.

5. Heat about 1-2 inches of veggie oil in large pot over med. heat. Line a cooling rack or cooking sheet with paper towels. Cut chilled dough into 12 rounds, I used a cup for this and then a small measuring spoon for the donut holes. Put 2-3 doughnuts at a time in the oil. fry 1-2 min on each side. Transfer to paper towels to cool.

6. Dip one side of each doughnut into the cider mix and then into the cinnamon-sugar. Serve and ENJOY!

***I had a hard time with the frying part of this because I didn't at first use enough flour to manipulate the sticky dough. Also make sure your doughnuts are no bigger then a 1 1/2 in thick. These didn't look as pretty as I was hoping for but I had all of Brandon's family over and some friends later on that day and EVERYONE gobbled them up! They said they were so good... So it made it well worth the WORK!

Margarita Chicken

So full of flavor I just love it!
You will need:

• 4 chicken breast (I cut mine in half)
• 1 can (10 ounces) frozen margarita mix, thawed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chicken seasoning
• Lemon juice

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients. Place the chicken and marinade in large resealable plastic bag. Squeeze out the air and seal. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. The longer I marinate the more flavor I feel like it gets.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place chicken on hot oiled grill and cook 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until done.

OR
Preheat oven to 350. Roast chicken breasts for 35 to 40 minutes.

Yummy White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (One can was plenty of spiciness for our family)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips. Makes about 5 servings.

*recipe can be found on this website.

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach leaves

Romaine leaves

Grilled chicken, sliced (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning) [I just used the frozen pre-grilled bag of chicken strips, warmed them in the microwave and added seasoning. Worked great!]

Red onion, sliced thinly

Crispy bacon, crumbled

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Toasted almonds (or you can sugar the almonds. Put sliced almonds in a pan with lots of granulated sugar (about equal amounts). Cook on medium heat until sugar melts, coating the almonds as they brown.)

Dressing:
1 1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 Tb Maui or Vidalia onion, chopped (I just used the remainder of my red onion)

2 cups canola oil

3 Tb poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Toss all ingredients together with generous amount of dressing before serving.

This makes alot of dressing, so I halved mine and it made it the perfect amount.


*This recipe was found here.

Chili Rubbed BBQ Pork

Another FAST, EASY, and really YUMMY meal that the whole family will LOVE!

(Pork is topped with Warm Mango Salsa)

What you will need:

• 4 loin chops
• Garlic salt (if not a salty lover, try garlic powder)
• Black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. chili seasonings
• 1/2 Cup BBQ sauce

Pre-heat broiler (I was intimidated by this but it worked out so well that I am a new fan of broiling food!!!)

Place pork on foil-lined baking sheet (I matted mine so they were a even 1 1/2 inches) and season with garlic salt and pepper. Rub with chili seasoning. Broil 4 min. per side (This was right on for me but keep a close eye because ovens can vary). Brush with BBQ sauce and broil 1 min. Turn, brush again, broil another min.

*** While on my diet I couldn't have BBQ sauce so I topped my pork with the Mango Salsa. It was so good I was savoring every bite. This is something I will make for my WHOLE family. It's full of flavor and broiling it makes the meat cook quick but it's so tender. The flavor is melt in your mouth awesome.

(You can also serve the salsa as a side... it's a nice compliment to the flavor of the pork)

Semi-Homemade Warm Mango Salsa

Fast! Easy! And OH, so good!

It's sweet with a kick. Heavenly good... and healthy-ish!
What you need:

• 1 Can drained, sliced mango (I used fresh mangos)
• 1 Can tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 lime cut in 1/2
• S&P
• 2 tbs. fresh cilantro

Combine mangos and tomatoes in a pan over heat. Bring to a boil then add lime juice, S&P, and cilantro to taste. Break up mangos with a spoon so they are consistent in size with tomatoes. Heat over med. heat for 5 more min. Stir occasionally.

I used this with my pork chop recipe and it was so good or even just a yummy treat with some chips!

Dinner Market

Some of you may have tried this, or another form of it. (Dream Dinners, My Girlfriends Kitchen, etc.) Well a friend introduced me to this wonderful place in Sandy called Dinner Market. They are similar to other places that you can assemble meals and freeze them to use later. Except at Dinner Market, they assemble them for you and you pick them up or they DELIVER them to you. Which is what I do. The dinners are pretty tasty and reasonably priced. I bought about 12 meals (the more you buy, the cheaper it is) about 4 or 5 months ago and am now down to about 2. I just use them when I don't feel like cooking and they are a life saver!! My family likes them too. You can check out their website here. Their menu changes every month.

EASY Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you want a fast and quick recipe this one is great. It's a great one to do with kids too!

1 box Spice cake mix
1 (15 oz.) Libby's canned pumpkin
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Mix cake mix and pumpkin together until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350* for approx. 12-14 minutes.