Caramel Sauce

Lately I've been making this easy caramel sauce to have on waffles with bananas and whipped cream.  So healthy.

Caramel Sauce
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. milk

Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1 t. vanilla.

Veggie Salsa

I've made this veggie salsa three times in the last few weeks. I'm amazed how I can suddenly get everyone to eat what is basically a bowl full of vegetables. Just finely dice everything.

2 cans corn, roasted (I toast it in the skillet while chopping everything else)
1 bell pepper
1 small red onion
1 cup tomatoes
1/3 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon garlic
2 limes, zest and juice
Salt and pepper
2 avocados, chopped - add last

Crock Pot Beef Tips

This was one of few amazing recipes from my 30 new recipes challenge in May.  My neighbor also made it for her challenge. We both found we needed WAY more butter to make a roux, there just wasn't much fat left from the beef. Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings.

Beef Tips and Gravy

1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 stew meat or sirloin, bite size chunks
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 onion
4-6 garlic cloves

1 T. butter
1/2 c. flour
4 c. beef broth
1 T. beef bouillon
1 1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. parsley
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. oregano

Heat oil in skillet.  Season meat with salt and pepper, and sear in pan. Put in crockpot and add onions and garlic.  Melt butter in pan with juices.  Add flour, and slowly incorporate broth.  Stir in remaining ingredients and cook until gravy thickens.  Pour into crockpot and stir.  Cook 3-4 hours high, or just keep cooking until the meat is tender.

Aunt Jeuney's Pesto

Pesto Sauce
2 cups (pressed) basil
1/2-3/4 cups pine nuts
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Process nuts, salt and garlic a little to break up nuts. Add basil and oil and process until smooth. Add cheese and process to blend. 

Potstickers

I used to make homemade potstickers.  Now I buy them at Costco.  But the homemade ones were good and I would make them again in a different phase of life.
Homemade Pot Stickers
1 lb ground pork
 cloves garlic
1/3 head cabbage
1 medium carrot
2 green onions
1/2 red bell pepper
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. soy sauce
black pepper
1 t. ginger

Put 1 T. of finely chopped veggies in each pot sticker.  Fry in 2 T. oil, af 1/2 c. wate to the pan and steam for 20 minutes. Or freeze before cooking

Taco Stack

Taco stack is a long time favorite. It's really easy to double and feed the neighborhood.

Taco Stack
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
1 can tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning
12 corn cortillas
1 pound shredded cheddar cheese.

Brown beef with onion.  Drain fat.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning.  Simmer 10 minutes.

Place 1/4 c mixture in the bottom of 9x13 pan.  Layer tortillas, meat mixture, and cheese in two stacks of 6 tortillas.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and green onion.

Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti

This is, like, not even a recipe.

4-5 chicken breasts
1 jar spaghetti sauce
8 hours on low in the crock pot

Serve over spaghetti with parmesan cheese.

Tomato Chicken Penne

A simple one pot pasta dish, other than it assumes you have cooked chicken lying around

Tomato Chicken Penne

2 1/2 c penne
1/2 c. onion
1 T. olive oil
2 T. chicken broth
2 c. cooked chicken
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. whipping cream
1 can sliced olives

Cook pasta.  Saute onion in oil.  Stir in broth, cook for 1 minute.  Drain pasta and add to skillet.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook and stir until heated through and slightly thickened.

Jamie's Potato Casserole

Here is Jamie's potato casserole recipe, just in case I ever have to make it myself.

Mix together:
30 oz bag of frozen shredded potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 1/2-2 c. sour cream
1-1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Place mixture in a 9x13 dish and sprinkle with crumb topping

crumb topping:
1/2 c. melted butter
1 sleeve of crushed ritz crackers
1 c. crushed corn flakes

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Southwestern Bean Soup

This is one of those recipes, like taco soup, that hardly bears writing down.  It's basically taco soup with beans instead of meat.

Southwestern Bean Soup
1 small onion chopped
1 t. garlic
1/2 t. vegetable oil
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 can cannelloni or white kidney beans
1 can corn
3/4 t. cumin
3/4 t. chili powder

Saute onion and garlic.  Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

Apple Cheddar Soup

I love this soup, but I'm the only one, so I make it when I make fish or Zuppa Toscana for John.

Apple Cheddar Soup
1/2 c. finely choppd onion
1 T. butter
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 c. apple cider
1/2 t. salt
dash cayenne pepper (I usually add a sprinkle of chili powder instead)
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. milk
2 T. flour
1 . shredded cheese
fresh apple slices

Cook onion in butter.  Stir in potatoes, cider and seasonings.  Boil.  Simmer covered 15 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender.  Add apple and simmer 5 more minutes.  Combine milk and flour.  Stir into soup.  Cook and stir untl bubbly.  Whisk in cheese until melted.  Top with fresh apple slices and ground pepper.

Zuppa Toscana

John loves this Olive Garden copy cat.  I usually half the recipe, and freeze leftovers in servings for him.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb sausage
2 large potatoes in half in slices
1 onion
6 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic
2 c. kale, choped
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1  c. whipping cream
red pepper flakes

Brown and crumble sausage.  Brown bacon.  Simmer water, broth, potatoes, garlic and onion until potatoes are tender.  Add sausage and bacon and simmer 10 min. Add kale and cream, season with salt and pepper and heat through,

Thai Pasta Salad

The printed email from which I first got this recipe (one of John's coworkers at BYU) is dated 2004, so I've been making this a long time.

Thai Pasta Salad
1 package bow tie pasta
1 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 c. oil (I do a mixture of grape seed, olive, and sesame.  Don't use too much EVOO, it's overpowering).
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 t. salt
6 T. cilantro
6 T. green onions

honey roasted peanuts
sesame seeds

Cook pasta and drain.  In saucepan, heat red pepper and oils for 2 min.  Add honey, soy sauce and salt. Mix well and pour over pasta.  over and refrigerate at least 4 hours.  When ready to serve, add cilantro, green onion, peanuts and sesame seeds

Ramen Cabbage Salad

Ramen Cabbage Salad
1 head cabbage
4 green onions
3 chicken breasts, sliced and cooked
1 package chicken flavored ramen noodles
mandarin oranges
slivered almonds

Cabbage Salad Dressing
1/2 c. oil
3 T. sugar
3 T. vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 packet Ramen seasoning

Raspberry Muffins

Raspberry Muffins

2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 stick melted butter
3/4 c. milk
1 egg
1/4 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. raspberries

Mix 1 3/4 c. flour and 1/2 c. sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Combine melted butter into dry ingredients.  Beat together milk, egg, and vanilla and add gradually to mixture.  Toss raspberries with remaining flour and fold into batter.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Bake at 400 for 17-20 minutes.

Grandma June's Coffee Cake

I have never made this recipe, but Grandma June was way famous for her coffee cake.

Grandma June's Coffee Cake
3 c. flour
3/4 c. butter
2 c. sugar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. cloves
2 c. buttermilk
chocolate chips
raisins

Sift flour, sugar, and spices. Cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal.  Reserve 1/2 c. dry mixture.  Combine buttermilk and soda.  Add to remaining crumb mixture in halves, beating thoroughly after each addition.  Stir in raisins or chocolate chips.

Grease and flour a 9x13 metal baking pan.  Pour batter into pan and sprinkle remaining crumbs on top.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Cake Mix Cookies

John was famous for cake mix cookies when we were dating at BYU.

Cake Mix Cookies
1 cake mix
1 egg
1 cube butter
1 t. vanilla

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 for 10 minutes.

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

5 cups broccoli
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. shredded cheese
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. crumbled bacon
1/4 c. red onion
1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed

Broccoli salad dressing
1 c. mayonnaise
2 T. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

I created this dish to replicate something I ate frequently at an American restaurant in Bangalore.

Creamy Asparagus Pasta
3 c. pasta
1 lb asparagus
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 oz cream cheese
3/4 t. italian seasoning
1/2 c.cheese
grilled chicken
parmesan cheese
bacon! optional, I just came up with that.

Cook the pasta, adding the asparagus the last few minutes to cook.  Drain. Melt the cream cheese in the pan.  Stir in the chicken broth.  Add the seasoning, and stir the pasta and asparagus back in.  Stir in the cheese until melted.  Top with chicken and parmesan cheese.

Mini Meatloaves

Mini Meatloaves aka Meatloaf Muffins

1 lb ground beef
1 package StoveTop stuffing
1 c. water
mozzarella cheese
ketchup

Mix meat, stuffing mix and water until well blended.  Press evenly into 12 muffin cups.  Make an indentation in each and squirt 1 T. of ketchup on top.  Bake 30 minutes at 375 until cooked  Top evenly with cheese.  Continue baking 5 minutes to melt cheese.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

1 pork tenderloin cut into four pieces
1/2 c. BBQ sauce
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. water

Simmer in a saucepan until tender, about 20 minutes.

Shred and serve on Hawaiian sweet rolls.

Sweet Green Bean Blobs

Sweet Green Bean Blobs

3 cans whole green beans, drained
1 lb bacon, chopped
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. garlic salt

Dump everything onto a pan and bake at 350 for 45 min.

Chili Cheese Dog Casserole & Cornbread

This sounds gross, but for some reason, is really delicious.  Also, from scratch cornbread recipe, if I ever need that for anything else.

Cornbread Recipe
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. 2 T. milk
1 egg
1/6 c. oil
1 1/2 T. butter

mix dry, mix wet, add and stir just until blended.

Chili Cheese Dog Casserole
1 c. green pepper
1/2 c. onion
1/2 c. celery
1 T. olive oil
1 pkg hot dogs, cut up
1 can chili with beans
1 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. chili powder
1 c. shredded cheddar

Put 1/2 cornbread mix in 9x9 dish.  Saute pepper, onion and celery in oil.  Stir in hot dog saute 3 min. Stir in chili, sugar, garlic powder, chili powder and heat through. Stir in 3/4 c. cheese. Spoon into dish.  Spread remaining batter on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 350 28-32 min or until toothpick comes clean from cornbread.

Rapunzel Cupcake Cake

Sienna wanted a Rapunzel cake for her birthday. She tried to change her mind to a puppy cake, but Dalton had the idea to do Rapunzel's Palace Pets. So I ordered some Palace Pets as one of her gifts and surprised her with Rapunzel's friends on her cake.

It's a cupcake cake because we did cupcakes with her friends earlier and these were from the same batch. Basically the key to a cupcake cake is lots of frosting.

Liz's Salad

A friend from the ward brought us this salad when Sienna was born and at least one other time.  It's yummy.

Liz's Salad
1/2 head green leaf lettuce
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 c. celery
4 green onions
1 avocado
1 apple
1/4 c. craisins
1/2 c. blue cheese
cooked chicken
candied nuts

Dressing
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 c. oil
1 T. parsleu
2 T. sugar
2 T. white wine vinegar

Crock Pot Ranch Chicken

This recipe was a hit, and it's a great one to double and freeze, or share with a friend.

Crock Pot Ranch Chicken
4 chicken breasts
Potatoes
Carrots
Green beans
1/4 c oil
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 pkg ranch dressing mix 

Lemon Glazed Chicken

I've made this recipe several times. Kids love it. I love it. Any time I make dinner and don't sit down to a chorus of complaints, win

Lemon Glazed Chicken

1 1/2 lb chicken
Salt and pepper
Cornstarch
A little Sesame oil
Olive oil

Cut up chicken into bites. Season well with salt and pepper. Dip in cornstarch and fry in hot oil until lightly browned.

For the lemon sauce:
1 c chicken broth
1 t lemon zest
1/3 c lemon juice
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
1/2 t ginger
2 T cornstarch

Whisk together. Add all the chicken back into the pan and add the sauce. Cook until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked.

Potato Cheese Soup

I got this recipe for Potato Cheese soup from my neighbor. It's delicious and quick and easy.

1/4 c.  butter
2 1/4 c. water
4 c. potatoes, diced
2/3 c. chopped celery
3 diced green onions
6 T butter
6 T flour
2 1/2 c. milk
1/2 t pepper
1 t salt
2 c. cheddar cheese
1 can corn, drained
1 lb bacon, cooked extra crisp

Cook butter, water, potatoes, celery and green onions for about 20 minutes until potatoes are done.  In another pan, melt butter, add flour and slowly pour in milk. Heat until thick. Add seasonings and pour into potatoes. Add cheese, corn, and bacon. 

Sour Cream Banana Bread

1 1/2 c sugar
3/4 c oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 c mashed ripe bananas
3/4 c sour cream
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 1/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
3/4 t salt

Beat oil and sugar. Add eggs, mashed banana, sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to wet ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Butter and flour just the bottom of two loaf pans. Divide mixture between and bake at 350 for 45 min or until toothpick comes out clean.