Pico De Gallo

Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
Alterations by Christina

3 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 T diced J peppers
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, diced
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 limes, juiced

Combine and season with salt and pepper. Best left to marinade at least 1 hour.

Tropical Salsa

From Silvia Woodward

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole corn, drained
6 roma tomatoes, diced
1 red or yellow pepper (or both), diced
2 avacados, diced
2 green onions, chopped finely
juice of 1 lime
1 package dry italian dressing seasoning

Mix beans, corn tomatoes and peppers. Add italian seasoning. Leave overnight. Before serving add avacado and lime juice. Serve with lime flavored tortilla chips

Mom's Cheesecake

I have sampled many cheesecakes in my life, but few compare to my Mom's. This recipe is restaurant worthy.
3 eggs
2/3 cup white sugar
2- 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Combine ingredients, pour over baked crust and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes
1 ½ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup white sugar
pour over baked portion of cake and bake at 425 for 6 minutes

Crust:
1 ½ cup vanilla wafer crumbs
½ cube buttercinnamon
Combine ingredients, press in a spring-form pan and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
Cook cake on the counter for 1 hour, then refridgerate.

Joyful oreo balls

1 package oreos (you can use any flavor)

1- 8-oz pkg cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup cream or a few tbsp of oil

1. grind up oreos in food processor until they are a very fine consistency (all the white filling should be gone)

2. Combine vanilla and cream cheese with a blender

3. Roll into balls (whatever size you prefer), refrigerate for 45 minutes

4. Melt chocolate chips and cream (or oil) until smooth (I melt them in microwave about 30 seconds at a time and stir, but you can use a double broiler if you are intense).

5. dip your cooled oreo balls in the chocolate and place on a cookie sheet covered in wax. Store in the fridge...delish!!

Grandma Johnson's Mustard Sauce

No ham is complete without this mustard sauce
Make sure to use Coleman's dry mustard. It comes in a yellow tin and can be found in the spice section of your local grocer (Wal Mart doesn't carry it).
1/2 c. sugar
3-5 T dry mustard (use Coleman's-- generally, I use 3 T and think that's plenty spicy. The original recipe calls for 5)
1 scant t salt
1 t cornstarch
2 T butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. vinegar

Mix dry ingredients. Add remaining liquid ingredients. Cook slowly over double boiler about 15 min or until thick, stirring constantly.

Orange Rolls

I've been looking for a good orange roll recipe. Can't wait to try these.

Orange Rolls
from Darcee Waddoups
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs
4 TBSP softened butter
4 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 TBSP yeast

Put ingredients in bread machine and select dough setting. Refrigerate. When ready to roll out, spread with orange past (below) and cut out as you would cinnamon rolls. Bake in muffin tins or on a cookie sheet. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes. Glaze while still hot.
Orange Paste:
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
grated rind of 1 orange
Squeeze juice from 1/2 of orange and blend well with /2 cup cream cheese frosting. (I just use the frosting in the tub.)

Almond Joy Bars

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but they look delish!

Almond Joy Bars
From Darcee Waddoups
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp soda
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, sugar and soda. Set aside. In saucepan mix butter, water and cocoa. Bring to a boil. Pour over flour mixture and mix well. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour into greased 10 x 15 jelly roll pan. Bake @ 375 for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.Filling:1/2 can sweetened condensed milk1 1/2 powdered sugar14 oz. coconut1 tsp vanillaMix milk and vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar then add coconut. Spread evenly over cooled bars. Sprinkle with coarsely chopped almonds.Frosting:1/2 cup-1 cup butter **2 cups chocolate chipsMelt butter and chocolate. Drizzle over bars then spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Cool completely before cutting into squares.**note: The more butter you add, the more of a 'glaze' you'll get. I tend to like it (if I'm not worrying about butter amounts!) a little thinner, but some of my kids like it better with a thicker, more chocolaty topping.

Thanksgiving Rolls

Thanksgiving Rolls

4 1/2 t. yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 T sugar
1 c. scalded milk
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. shortening
2 t. salt
2 eggs, beaten well
4 c. flour

Mix yeast, warm water and 1 T. sugar. Let stand 20 min. Scald milk and when it is cool add shortening, 1/3 c. sugar, salt, eggs and yeast mixture. Add flour and mix well. Mixture will be sticky. Put in refrigerator over night and knead well then roll out on a floured board. Let rise 2 hours. Bake 15 min at 350

Orange Pecan Scones

MB can leave out the pecans. These are delish!
From homespunliving.blogspot.com

Orange Pecan Scones
1/2 c. butter, in pieces
1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/3 c. sugar
grated zest of one orange
1/2 c. orange juice
1 egg, beaten
For glaze:
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp. orange juice
12 pecan halves
Scones: Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, chopped pecans, sugar & zest) in food processor*, and using pulse, cut in butter til it looks like a coarse meal--be careful not to over process. Add orange juice and beaten egg and combine until just mixed. Drop 12 equal lumps of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
* or use a pastry cutter and mix by hand.
Glaze: Combine confectioner's sugar and orange juice, mixing til smooth. Spread a little glaze on each scone and top with a pecan half.
Makes 1 dozen.
These are best eaten right after they are baked!

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1- medium sized pumpkin, cleaned (you can leave a little stringy stuff)
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 container of fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 c. cream of chicken
1-1/2 c. rice, cooked
1 can of sliced water chestnuts, drained

Pre-heat oven to 400. Place prepared pumpkin on a baking sheet. Cook pumpkin for 30 min. or until it is semi-soft (this will vary depending on thickness of pumpkin).
Meanwhile:
Cook ground beef adding onions and mushrooms until both are wilted. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, cream of chicken, cooked rice and water chestnuts. Combine well. Place ingredients in partially cooked pumpkin. Bake for 30-40 min (until the insides are warm) at 400. Serve directly from pumpkin and enjoy a festive meal.

Pumpkin Choco Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
from allrecipes.com with modifications by Christina
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
puree
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup semisweet chocolate
chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
(optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2.
In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir into the pumpkin mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips. Stir in the walnuts if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Enchilada Casserole

Tonight's Dinner

1 lb ground beef
Corn tortillas (it's very important that you use corn, not flour).
1 T chili powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 diced onion
1 can enchilada sauce (10 oz)
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
2 c. grated cheese of your choice

Brown onions, add ground beef until cooked. Next add kidney beans, chili powder, grlic, corn, enchilada and tomato sauce. Spray a 9X11 pan, cover bottom layer in corn torillas. Add a layer of ground beef mixture, then cheese, then tortillas, etc. Continue layering unil pan is full. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 min (Uncover the last 10 min). Serve with sour cream if desired.

Cafe Rio Cheats (From Jill)

Cafe Rio-ish Chicken
5 lbs. chicken (I used one of those 3 lb. frozen packages Wal-Mart sells that used to be 5 lbs. But that's a different post)
1 small (8 oz) bottle Zesty Italian Salad Dressing (or measure out 1 cup from that big bottle, no one will know the difference...except your garbage man, maybe)
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 1/2-ish tbsp. minced garlic from a bottle in your fridge)

Put the chicken (defrosted if you bought it frozen) in your slow cooker. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the happy chicken. Cook on low for 7 hours (depending on your slow cooker - mine cooks super hot and only took 5 hours). Shred the chicken and then cook an additional hour. If you can stand the wait.

Cafe Rio-esque rice
1/2 bunch cilantro1 small can green chilies
1/2 medium onion
3 cups water
3 cups instant rice
4 tsp chicken bouillon
4 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
In a blender or food processor blend cilantro, chilies, and onion. Bring water to a boil and add all remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover. Remove from heat. Let sit about 5 minutes.

Cilantro-Lime Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch packet
2 tomatillos
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, seeded (watch out! Don't touch your eyes! These little things are hot!)

Make ranch dressing according to package directions. In a blender or food processor whirl together the tomatillos, cilantro and jalapeno. Now add the garlic and lime juice to your blended mix. Blend again. Combine with ranch dressing (which you made up in style an hour ago - look at you, planning ahead and all! I'm so proud.) and enjoy.My additions:*Dave and I love to add black beans to the rice. When we eat it we pile everything on a tortilla (including the dressing), roll it up and top it with more dressing. Add cheese, salsa, whatever your heart desires. *I also nixed making up the package of ranch dressing and just used 2 cups of already prepared ranch dressing. A tiny bit thicker than I remember when I used the dressing packet last time, but still delicious!

Sunday cookies

from: Marybeth

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups quick oats

1 cups chocolate chips

2 3/4 - 3 cups flour (depending on size of eggs)

cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Sift: flour, salt baking soda, baking powder and add. With a wooden spoon stir in quick oats and chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes
*i have found that these cookies are very sensitive to the amount of flour. I always add 2 1/2 cups and then bake one cookie. It should be puffy. If its flat or burns along the edges I usually add another 1/4 cup to the dough. I've found that 2 3/4 cup seems to be the magic amount of flour for a perfect cookie. However, your oven or humidity might be different. I still make a test cookie.  It's worth the extra 8 minutes to ensure the best darn cookies. 

Potato Soup DELISH

3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes (I used red potatoes and did not peel)

1 can (or frozen Westy) corn

2 cubes chicken bullion

2-3 cups water

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

1. In a large stock pot add potatoes, onion, chicken bouillon, water and parsley flakes. Season with salt ad pepper and simmer until veggies become tender.

2. In a separate bowl mix flour and milk. Once it is well blended, add to soup mixture and cook until soup becomes thick. I also add corn at this point.

3. Stir in cheese until melted.

I served topped with a bit of cheese and bacon bits. YUM.

Hamilton's Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
4 or 6 sm. sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
6 tbsp. milk
¼ c - ½ c sugar, depending on sweetness
1egg
Brown sugar crust
½ c brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
¼ c melted butter
Method:
Peel and boil sweet potatoes. When tender, pour off water. Add butter, milk, sugar, egg and cinnamon and whip with mixer.
Pour mixture in a 9x9 square baking dish and smooth out. Combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread melted butter evenly over sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle topping over butter and bake for 20 - 25 minutes @ 375º to create a nice crust. Top with chopped pecans

Beef Stew

Beef Stew
from KSL Studio 5
Ingredients:
1 pound beef stew meat
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 russet potatoes, diced
2 cup tomato juice or Spice V-8' juice
¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Place all ingredients in oven sage pot (or in a crock pot on high for approximately 5 hours). Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 2-2 ½ hours or until meat is tender. Serves 4.

Lion House Rolls

Lion House Rolls
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour
Method:
In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).
Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size. Sprinkle cutting board or counter with flour and place dough on floured board. Roll out and cut rolls into desired shape and size. Place on greased (or parchment lined) baking pans. Let rise in warm place until rolls are double in size (about 1-1 ½ hours). Bake at 400 for 20 min.

Balsamic Chicken

Balsamic Chicken

from KSL Studio 5
Ingredients:
2-3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup fresh basil, minced or 1-2 Tbl dried Italian seasoning
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch strips
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
12 oz cooked pasta of choice
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Combine first 7 ingredients on large baking dish. Stir to coat chicken chicken.2. Place baking dish in oven on high broil. Broil aprox 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 3. Toss chicken over cooked pasta; use a rubber scraper and get all the seasonings off baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Meatballs

From Amy Kate
Meatballs 

1 pound mixed chopped meat (pork, beef, turkey) 

2 large eggs 

1 handful chopped fresh Italian parsley 

Black pepper 

1/4 cup grated Locatelli Romano 

1/2 cup bread crumbs 

4 garlic cloves, sliced 

Olive oil, for browning
Prepare meatballs: Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a large bowl. Form the meatballs with your hands (there should be about 12). Fry in the olive oil over medium heat until browned, but not cooked all the way through. Set aside.

Ribs

From Amy Kate:

Ribs
2 lbs pork baby back ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce (Baby Rays)
Dry rub:¼ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tbsp. paprika1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 ½ tbsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. cayenne red pepper

Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil big enough to enclose each portion of ribs. Spray each piece of foil with vegetable cooking spray. Apply the dry rub to the ribs, and then brush the ribs liberally with barbeque sauce and place each portion in its own piece of foil. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).Bake ribs wrapped tightly in the foil at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from foil and add more sauce, if desired. Remove the foil, place ribs on covered baking sheet, and broil until sticky.

Best Mac and Cheese Ever

From MB

1 bag macaroni
1 small onion
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 cups cheese (of your choice)
2 cups milk

Cook onion and butter together. Add ground mustard, flour and salt/pepper and combine well. Then add milk, simmering until thick. Take off heat and add cheese until smooth. Pour delicious cheesy sauce over cooked macaroni noodles in a casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbling. I am not sure exactly how much cheese I used. Probably about 1/4 cup parmesan. 1 cup sharp cheddar. 1 cup colby jack. I like my mac and cheese really sharp..and it was. I also added just a bit more milk to thin it up. I put those real bacon bits (the ones from sams club) on top before baking. I know this recipe doesn't sound much different than the one we already use, but it tasted much different. It was more creamy and had a nice bit to it. The bacon also added nice pizazz to it. Hope you enjoy. HEARTS AND BUBBLES.

Chicken Pineapple Fajitas

Courtesy of Marybeth

Ingredients:
Tortillas
1/2 pineapple, sliced
2 chicken breasts, cut in pieces
3 peppers (green, yellow, red)
2 t. jamaican jerk seasoning
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 T cooking oil
fresh cilantro and lime wedges

Brown pineapple in pan, turning only once, set aside. Combine spices in large ziplock bag, add chicken and peppers. Shake. Cook peppers and chicken in oil, adding pineapple just to re-warm. Serve on tortillas with lime juice and cilantro