Fajitas

I got this recipe from my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook! It is so easy and yummy! Beau and I are so excited for the leftovers!

12 ounces beef flank steak or bite-size strips of chicken or turkey
1 TBS fajita seasoing or you could use a fajita seasoning packet
4-6 tortillas (8-inch)
2 TBS cooking oil
1 thin strips of red or green sweet pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced onlin, separated into rings
3/4 cup chopped tomato (1 medium)
1 TBS lime juice
1 recipe Chunky Guacamole
Bottled Salsa (optional)
sour cream (optional)
lime wedges (optional)

1. If desired, partially freeze beef for easier slicing. If using beef, thinly slice beef across the grain into bite-size strips. Place meat strips in a deep bowl. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the fajita seasoning. Stir to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
2. Wrap tortillas tightly in foil. Heat in 350 degree oven about ten minutes or until heated through. In a 12-inch skilled heat 1 tbs of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the reaming 2 teaspoon seasoning, sweet pepper, and onion. Cook and stir about 3 minutes or until crisp and tener. Remove onion mixture from skillet.
3. Add the rermaining 1 tablespoon oil and the meat to the skillet. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until desired doneness for beef or until poultry strips are no longer pink. Drain well. Return onion mixture to skillet. Stir in tomato. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until heated though. Remove skillet from heat' stir in lime juice.
4. To serve, fill warm torillas with meat mixture. If desired, top meat mixture with Chunky Guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Roll up tortillas. Serve with lime wedges.

Chunky Guacamole

This guacamole is so yummy! Beau and I seriously ate all of it in one night, it was that good! Great with tortilla chips! I got this recipe from Better Homes and Garden.

Ingredients

* 2 medium roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
* 1/4 of a small red onion, finely chopped
* 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and coarsely mashed
* Tortilla chips

Directions

1. In a bowl combine tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Gently stir in avocados. Cover the surface with plastic wrap. Chill for up to 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

2. Makes 2 cups (sixteen 2-tablespoon servings)

This recipe also tastes great with fajitas

Basic Taco/Fajita Seasoning

This is a easy and in-expenisve alternative to the pre-made spice mixes. You can adjust it to a flavor that you like. Plus it tastes great!!

1 TBS chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or pinch of cayenne, to taste)

1. Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Maple- Pumpkin Cheesecake

This cheesecake is so youmy and yummy. You could use this cake, in the Fall, or really anytime. Everyone will want more of this cheesecake!
Prep: 40 minutes Bake: 68 minutes Oven: 325 degrees
Cool: 1 ¾ hours Chill: 4 hours Makes: 12 slices
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups finely crushed Honey Teddy Grahams (or you could use graham crackers)
½ cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. For crust: In a medium bowl, combine finely crushed graham crackers, 1/3 cup of the maple sugar, and the melted butter. Press crumb mixture onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the side of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
2. For filling: In a large bowl, combine the remaining 2/3 cup maple sugar, the cream cheese, pumpkin, the 1/4 cup maple syrup, and the vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.
3. Gently pour filling into crust-lined pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken.
4. Cool in springform pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small thin knife, loosen crust from side of springform pan. Cool for 30 minutes more. Remove side of springform pan; cool for 1 hour. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
5. To serve, spoon caramel ice cream topping over top of cheesecake. If desired, garnish with currants and/or fresh berries.
6. Makes 10 servings
7. **Note: Be sure to stir thoroughly to break up any clumps.
8. Bake-ahead tip: Prepare as directed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Or carefully transfer cheesecake to a plate or platter and place in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw frozen cheesecake in the refrigerator for 24 hours. If desired, garnish as directed above.

Pumpkin Waffles

These waffles are so amazingly good! Beau and I decided to start a tradition that on Thanksgiving morning we were going to make these waffles. I got them from the Ultimate Pumpkin Waffle Blog, where she has tried about 90 different recipes before she came up with this one...her favorite.

INGREDIENTS
makes 4 round “Belgian” style pumpkin waffles, or five regular waffles

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg*
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm

*Grated and lightly packed into the spoon, use 1/2 tsp. Grated and loosely scooped, this is about 1 tsp. of nutmeg. If you have to use pre-grated, dried nutmeg, use 1/4 tsp.

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature.

2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.

3. Separate eggs: yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.

4. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside.

5. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form – about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside.

6. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine.

7. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.

8. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.

9. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter, into your waffle maker

Chicken Noodle Soup

I absolutely love chicken noodle soup. It is such a comfort food, it reminds me of home and it makes me happy to eat it. This is my moms recipe, she is such a great cook.

1- 3.-4 pound whole chicken
1 qt chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
2 qts water
1 medium onion chopped
4 stalks celery sliced
4 carrots sliced
2 TBS dried parsley
6 garlic cloves minced
1 medium onion chopped
2 TBS poultry seasoning
2 TBS dried parsley
2TBS Olive Oil

Place the chicken in a large stockpot cover with the chicken stock and 3 quarts water and chicken broth. Add the onion , sliced carrots and celery, garlic, onion, poultry, parsley, and Olive Oil . Bring mixture to a boil, partially cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. The chicken should easily pull away from the bones.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the broth and set aside until cool enough to handle. Pull the chicken meat off the bones, discarding the bones, skin, and any fat. Shred and reserve meat. Stir in reserved cooked chicken.

Season the soup with salt and pepper. Simmer until noodles are cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat Serve hot.

For Egg Noodle Recipe
***Tip*** The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it your own! If you want to add a little more this or a little less of that you can. You can also use garlic salt instead of garlic, or you could use fresh parsley instead of dried recipe. Make this recipe your own, and have fun with it!

Egg Noodles

This is your basic old fashioned noodle. It is so good. It really is easy to make, and it tastes so much better homemade!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes.
3. Allow to air dry before cooking.
4. To cook
   

   Directions

   1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
   2. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes.
   3. Allow to air dry before cooking.
   4. To cook fresh pasta, in a large pot with boiling salted water cook until al dente.

Best Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

This chocolate cake is SSSOOO good! I got it from the back of the Bakers chocolate box. The cake is from a box, and I don't think you could ever tell. It is just so moist, and the frosting is superb. I think I want to go get another piece of the cake, just talking about it.

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
• 1 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (8 ounce) package BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) Whipped Topping, thawed
• 2 tablespoons Sliced Almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, scraping side of bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 2 min. or until well blended. Stir in 2 squares of the chocolate, chopped. Spoon into prepared pans.
2. Bake 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. on wire rack. Loosen cakes from side of pans with spatula or knife. Invert cakes onto rack; gently remove pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
3. Place remaining 6 squares chocolate and whipped topping in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. Stir until well blended and shiny. Cool 5 min. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread 1/4 of the chocolate mixture over cake. Place second cake layer on top; spread remaining chocolate mixture over top and sides of cake. Garnish with almonds

***Tip*** The cake tastes best if kept in fridge.

Coconut Cashew Granola

WOW! Holy cow, this recipe is simply amazing. It truly is a gift. It also, was really, really quick to make. I cannot wait to try it in yogurt, and use it as cereal! I found this recipe at My Kitchen Cafe.

*Makes about 7 cups of granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup crasins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine maple syrup, oil and salt. Combine both mixtures by slowly pouring the liquid over the oatmeal mixture and stirring well. Divide in half and pour onto two 11X17-inch rimmed baking sheets, spreading out into an even layer on each sheet. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and transfer into a large bowl, slightly breaking up the clumps. Add the raisins and gently mix until even distributed.

Bar-B-Que Chicken

• Chicken - 2-3 lbs., boneless - breasts and/or thighs, fresh or frozen
• BBQ Sauce - 2 cups, make your own or prepared (save 1/2 cup for dipping if desired.)
• Onion - 1, diced or sliced (optional)

1. Spray the slow cooker with oil.
2. Add chicken, onions if using, and BBQ sauce and mix together.
3. Cover and heat on low: 6-8 hours for fresh chicken; 7-9 hrs for frozen.
4. When fully cooked, remove meat from pot and pull apart with 2 forks. Put back in the pot and re-heat as needed.
5. Pile onto buns and serve.

The taste of the sauce in the chicken is not too strong, so I strongly recommend to save some sauce for dipping.

Tangy Bbq Sauce

I went to the store yesterday to buy bar-b-que sauce. It was a little expensive, so I decided to make my own. I looked up recipes on line and found this recipe. It was super easy, and I thought it tasted so good. Beau, on the other hand thought it was good, but it was not his favorite sauce ever. I will make this recipe again, however I want to find an everyday sauce as well that I could make.

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 TBS mustard
3 TBS Apple cider vinigar
3 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
t TBS Tabasco sauce
3 garlic cloves minced
1 medium onion finaly chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl and blend well. Use immediatly or refridgerate after use.

Mexican lasagna

I decided to have one vegetarian-ish meal a week. I thought it might be healthy, and fun to try it. My husband, was not keen on the idea, but...because he loves me so much said that I could try it. (what other choice did he have) Well, I made it....and he LOVED it. He thought it was so good. Which I was very surprised because he was a little skeptical at first. We especially loved to sprinkle tortilla chips on it! I found this recipe at Cuisine Nie.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 green onions, coarsley chopped
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
Nonstick cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 (16 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa
8 ounces (2 cups) Pepper Jack Cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, combine cilantro, green onions, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper with as much spianach as will fit; pulse adding remaining spinach in batches. Until corsley chopped.

Coat an 8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Lay 4 toritllas in bottom of dish. (they will overlap) Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture and cheese. Repeat with remaining ingeredients. ending with the cheese and pressing in gently.

Cover dish with foil. Bake until bubbling, 25-30 minutes; remove foil. and continue baking until golden. 15-20 minutes more. Cool 5-10 minutes before serving

Better than Sex Cake

This is the best cake EVER! And I mean ever. I Right before the party I put the cool whip and heath bar on. The sweetened condensed milk really adds to the flavor of the cake!! I absolutely love it!

1 German Chocolate cake mix
1 jar of caramel
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz carton of cool whip
4-6 skor or heath bars

Take cake out of oven and poke holes on top. Pour the bottle of Carmel sauce and milk. Put in refrigerator to cool. When cool cover top with cool whip and skor bars that have been crushed. ENJOY!!

Apple Cobbler

I LOVE fall! This is a quick easy cobbler recipe that is so yummy and makes the house smell like fall! I absolutely love it!!!2 cans apple pie filling

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
Melted butter
Cinnamon

Pour apple filling into a 13 x 9 inch pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and mix well. Spread evenly. Pour cake mix (unprepared) onto filling. Do not mix. Spread the mix evenly. Pour melted butter over the mix. Make sure the butter covers all of the mix as to brown evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. NOTE: Any fruit filling or peaches can be used for this recipe. Delicious!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I made this cake the other day for a gathering. It was so good and moist. It really was AMAZING. I loved the caramel topping. YUMMY!

Ingredients

Topping:
1 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 can (20 oz) of pineapple slices

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
6 Tbsp cake flour
6 Tbsp of ground almonds (from about 2 oz of whole almonds)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups of sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
4 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream

Method

1 Start by making the caramel topping. Take brown sugar and butter and combine and melt in a saucepan on medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly, this should take several minutes. Pour mixture into a 10 inch diameter stick-free cake pan with 2 inch high sides. Arrange pineapple slices in a single layer ontop of the caramel mixture.

2 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk the flours, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the sugar and butter together until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream in 2 additions each, beating well after each addition. Pour cake batter over caramel and pineapple in pan.

3 Bake cake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Mexican Pizza

In 9th grade I was in a speech class. We were all supposed to make our favorite dish in front of the class and explain how we made it. Natalie B. made this Mexican pizza bean dip. Oh it was so good. I was invited to a Football party and was asked to bring a side dish, I immediately remembered the Mexican pizza and called Natalie B.'s mom for the recipe. She told me that it was a very liberal recipe and that you can make it basically however you want. Here is what I suggest.

1 large can of refried beans
1 medium container of sour cream
about 1 tablespoon of Tabasco sauce
Taco Seasoning
avocados
green onions
olives
tomatoes
cheese

Spread the Refried beans onto a platter. Mix the sour cream and Tabasco sauce and taco seasoning together. spread on top of the refired beans. add the avacados, green onion, tomatoes, and cheese.

Taco Seasoning

I made the best tacos the other day with my own recipe. It is so nice to not have to buy the packet, and to be honest I think it tastes better! It is also nice to be able to customize the recipe to make it as spicy as you want. I forgot to take a picture so next time I make taco's I will add a picture.

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp salt (the actual recipe calls for sea salt but I have never bought it)
1 tsp black pepper

Mix all together and add to your ground beef.

Frozen Key Lime Pie

This is by far the best key lime pie out there! It truly is so amazing. Whenever I eat this particular key lime pie I feel like I am Key West, Florida eating a magnificent treat. This is what I request every year for my birthday. It is that good, and now my husband is following in the same suit. He can't get enough of it either!

I got this recipe from Emily G. a lady that lived next door to me while in my teen years.

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers) ( I actually usually use teddy grahams
1/4 c. sugar
6 T. unsalted butter, melted
6 ex.-lg. egg yolks (at room temp.)
1/4 c. sugar
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. grated lime zest
3/4 c freshly squeezed lime juice (4-5 limes)
1 c. (1/2 pt.) cold heavy cream
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
thin lime wedges

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9 inch pie pan, making sure the sides and bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes until firm and golden brown. Cook completely. For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed with electric mixer for 5 minutes until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest and lime juice.Pour into baked pie shell and freeze. For the topping, beat the heavy cream on high speed with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime wedges. Freeze for several hours or overnight. (if you have concerns about raw eggs, combine the yolks with 1/2 cup of the lime juice used in the recipe in a double boiler. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture reaches 140 degrees. Use in place of raw egg yolk, remembering to add the remaining 1/4 cup of lime juice to the filing mixture along with the condensed milk and zest.)

Los Angelas Prize Winning German Chocolate Cake

This is my Grandmothers recipe. This frosting recipe won at the Los Angeles Fair. It is so good that you can use the box German Chocolate Cake Mix for the cake and then use the recipe for the frosting. I cannot wait until Beau's and my dad's birthday to eat this delicious cake.

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
4 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
7 oz. flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Mix milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large sauce pan. Cook and stir on medium heat for about 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans. Cool to room temerature and of spreading consistency.

By the way...it is Beau's birthday. He gets two cakes because his mom is throwing him a large party. Stay tuned for the Key Lime Pie recipe...

Aloaha Bread

Aloha Bread is just so yummy! It has some of my favorite things like, bananas, pineapple, coconut, and pecans. In my opinion you cannot make anything wrong with those ingredients! Yum. I found this recipe in my Lion House Classics cookbook.

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained (I used tidbits)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup coconut


Grease 2 large 8X4 inch loaf pans, set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; stir in bananas. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to banana mixture. Blend well, but do not overmix. (Overmixing causes tunnels and a coarse texture.) Add pineapple, pecans, and coconut, mix on low speed until blended. Pour into prepared pans. (Pans should be two-thirds full.) Bake at 325 degrees for 60-80 minutes. Makes 2 large loafs.

Grape Juice

Mom, Beau, and I decided to make grape juice today. I just love grape juice it is so refreshing! It is mouthwatering!

1. Pick the grapes
2. Wash jars and lids
3. Wash the grapes

4. Put grapes in steam juicer


5. Fill the juice and put the lids and rings on

6. Process the jars in in the boiling water for 10 minutes

7. Remove the jars- and let cool

Peppers

This year Beau and I decided to help can the food from my parents garden! It is going to be so yummy! I found the directions on freezing peppers by his sister, Ruby
Here are the directions...
First - Slice your peppers
Second - Place your pepper strips into rapidly boiling water for 30 seconds.
Third - Remove peppers from boiling water and place directly into ice water (just fill the sink or a big bowl with ice and water)
Fourth - Dry the peppers on towels. Let them air dry for about 30 minutes
Fifth - Place pepper strips onto cookie sheets and place into freezer for an hour
Sixth- Fill up a Ziploc freezer bag with frozen pepper strips. Seal and label.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is such a great meal! It is so yummy and makes me feel like I am on and island in Hawaii. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can exchange the chicken for pork, or meatballs. It really is so easy!

1 Ib. pork, chicken, cooked and cubed or meatballs, cooked
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. vinegar
1 c. pineapple juice
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 to 1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 onion (in rings or chunks)
1 lg. can pineapple chunks or tidbits

Mix cornstarch, salt sugar, vinegar, juice and soy sauce. Add to meat and heat until thick and glossy. Simmer for a few minutes. Add vegetables and simmer until veggies are tender. Serve over rice.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I got this amazing salad recipe from my mom. She LOVES making this salad, I remember her making it many times while growing up. I absolutely love it. It is so fresh!

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp minced onion
2 TBS Poppy Seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Paprika

Mix in blender.

Then..
cut up 1 carton of strawberry's into 4ths
1 pkg of baby spinach
1 cup slivered almonds
place in bowl and drizzle the dressing into the bowl.
This recipe makes a lot of dressing, so you could always double the strawberries, spinach, and almonds.

Chewy Ginger Snaps

My husband had a work party, and he did not tell me that I needed to make a dessert till the night before. I went to the Sisters Cafe and I found this AMAZING cookie recipe. And oh...they were so good. These ginger snaps were soft and chewy, plus the optional white chocolate chips made them even better. These were and excellent treat.

2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 pkg. white chocolate chips (optional)

Mix first 4 ingredients well, then add remaning ingredients. Roll into balls in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes.

Lemon Pudding Salad

This is such a yummy summer salad. It is so so easy and very refreshing!
1 large can fruit cocktail
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 can mandarin oranges
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip
1 box instant lemon pudding
3 cups mini marshmallows

Drain cans of fruit reserving 3/4 cup liquid. Place lemon pudding powder in bowl, add 3/4 cup reserved fruit juice. Stir well. Add to drained fruit. Add Cool Whip and marshmallows.

Brownie Trifle

My cousin Lindsey gave me this awesome trifle recipe. It sort of is like Better then Robert Redford Cake, but a little different. It is delicious, whenever I make it people ask for seconds...and the other thing that is nice about it is that it is super easy to make.

1 pan brownies (best if made the day before)
1 4 servings pkg. Chocolate pudding, prepared
12 oz. Cool Whip
6-8 Skor bars (or use any desired candy bar)

Cut the brownies into small-bite sized pieces. Thaw the cool whip. While still in the wrappers pound the skor bars into small pieces.
In a triffle bowl layer the ingredients as follows. 1/2 the brownies, 1/2 the pudding, 1/2 the cool whip, 1/2 the skor bars. then repeat 1 more time. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.

Perfect Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are Amazing...they literally are my favorite cookie. They have so much texture and flavor to them. I made them for my father-in-law and he ate the whole plate because he thought that they were that good! I got the recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.
here is the recipe...

1 cup oatmeal (not quick)
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (when I don't have dark brown sugar I use light brown sugar)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cup coconut
1 cup walnuts
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the top 4 ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend about 30 seconds until coarse. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter for 30 seconds until light in color. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Next, add the dry ingredients then add the coconut, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Shape cookie dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly before removing them from the pan to a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Fabulous French Loaves

The french bread...I cooked my french bread for a few minutes too long...so yours won't be so dark.

My mom makes this great french bread. It is yummy...and is basically no fail. It is so yummy with Italian meals, stews, and soups!

1. Dissolve 2 pkg dry yeast in 1/2 c. warm water.
2. Allow to stand 10 min.
3. Combine in large bowl
2 c. hot water. 3 TB sugar
1 TB salt 5 TB oil
3 c. flour
4. Stir in dissolved yeast
5. Stir in mixing well 3 c. flour
6. Leaving spoon in batter, allow to rest 10 min.
7. Stir vigorously. Allow to rest 10 min. Repeat step no. 7 three more times
8. Turn dough onto floured board. Knead until lightly coated with flour. Divide dough in half.
9. Roll each half into a 9X13" rectangle. Starting at long edge, roll loosely as for jelly roll. Seal edges.
10. Place both rolls seam side down, on one large baking sheet.
11. Using a sharp knife slash top of each loaf diagonally 3 times.
12. Brush with 1 beaten egg white.
13. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
14. Allow to rise 30 min. Makes 2 loaves
15. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. until golden brown.

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls and Powdered Sugar Frosting

These are seriously the best cinnamon rolls...they are delicious! My mom makes them for EVERY General Conference. Or when we have guests....they are AMAZING!! This recipe makes 36 cinnamon rolls.

4 cups lukewarm water
4 T yeast
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp salt
8 eggs
3 T respondo (dough conditioner)
15 cups flour (give or take)

Mix 8 cups flour with all ingredients, then add remaining flour. Mix well then roll out on jelly roll pan, spread w/ cube of melted butter, layer generously with brown sugar, then dust with Cinnamon.
Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown

Powdered Sugar Frosting

1 1/2 bags powdered sugar. (1 bag = 1 pound)
2 tsp
cube of butter
milk until consistency you want

mix until desired consitency

*My mom doesn't have an exact recipe for the frosting. You just eyeball it.

Spinach Pizza and Pesto Recipe

I got this recipe from my blogger friend Lauren she is seriously the funniest girl! Her blog is probably the best blog that I have ever read, usually when I read it I am on the floor laughing! She also is an amazing cook, the other day she shared a recipe with the blog world and I listened... Here we go...
I made this pizza dough...

Ingredients
Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Baby Spinach
4 slices Prosciutto
3/4 cup Part Skim Ricotta
Pesto-my pesto sauce recipe is below
Mozzarella

Slice the tomatoes very thin and cover the entire dough surface with the tomatoes

drizzle a small amount of olive oil and top with garlic salt on top of tomatoes
lay down plenty of baby spinach on top of tomatoes

lay down the 4 slices of Prosciutto cut up
Mix the 3/4 cup Ricotta with the Pesto

Dollup the Ricotta mixture on top of spianch
sprinkle with mozzarella



Lion House Pesto Sauce
1 cup parley, packed
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1tsp grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a blender